Incendiary
by Ambroisie-Seduisante
Summary: Nina is a fiery young woman who has always known she belongs in Dauntless, not Amity where she is born. But fate goes awry when Nina discovers a unique talent that may put her in danger. The challenges she faces will test her courage and ultimately determine her character. Can she trust the man who ignites her desires? Or is he a danger to her himself? Eric/OC (Slow Burn)
1. Spark

**Welcome all to my first Divergent fanfiction (original novel by Veronica Roth.) This story is rated T for _moderate _violence, language, and sexual themes. Please review; I'd love to read your feedback.**

**Ciao, Gabrielle.**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Spark**

Nina's fingertips trembled as she surveyed her room for the last time. For 16 years, she'd slept here, played here, cried here, and laughed here. She made her bed one last time, out of habit. She would never sleep in it again. Nina brought her teddy bear up to her face and pressed it against her cheek, tears threatening to spill. His smell was that of apples and nostalgia. She didn't need the plush toy anymore. She had to be brave without him. She gingerly set him in the middle of the bed before closing the bedroom door behind her.

* * *

Outside, Nina waited for Maddie under the apple tree they'd marked their own. Her fingers traced the outline of a heart on the rough bark. M + N, Friends for Life. She'd etched in the words with her best friend years ago. The apples that came from this tree tasted the sweetest of all.

"Nervous?" came Maddie's voice from behind her.

Nina turned and smiled, crossing her arms stubbornly. "No. Are you?"

"No way!" Maddie replied, a tenacious grin on her face. Maddie, like Nina, was dressed in a safflower colored bohemian dress - a style popular in this faction. The only physical indication that the girls were not cookie-cutter models for Amity was hidden beneath a layer of fabric. The friends had pierced each others belly buttons last year, using alcohol and a bent safety pin.

The two friends laughed and came together in a sweet embrace, then broke apart.

"I'm terrified," admitted Nina.

"Shh, you better not let those Dauntless hooligans hear you later!" teased Maddie, a chuckle escaping her lips.

"Hey, you better watch your mouth too! In a few hours, we're gonna be one of those 'Hooligans' ourselves!" Nina's laugh faltered as the realization hit her that she would likely never see this tree again. Not unless she chose Amity at the Choosing Ceremony.

Maddie's smile trembled as well. "I'm scared too. This is it, you know? We're really leaving home." Maddie reached up and grabbed an apple hanging enticingly within her reach. As she bit into it, she patted the tree trunk. "Remember when you fell from this tree?"

"How could I forget?" smirked Nina, tracing the raised scar above her collarbone that the accident had left her with. She could recall the memory from her childhood perfectly.

_"I can climb higher than you can!" exclaimed Maddie, a competitive twinkle in her eyes. She was in the next tree over, in a race with Nina over who would reach the top first._

_"Nuh-uh!" Nina adeptly grabbed the branch above her, pushing with her bare feet on the branch below as she lifted herself higher. She stuck her tongue out at Maddie. Now they were at the same height, and only a few branches remained above for Nina to claim victory. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed several apples had fallen below due to jostled branches._

_"Hah! I win!" proclaimed Maddie triumphantly from the neighboring tree. She'd made it to the top first._

_"No fair!" pouted Nina. "You always -" Nina's voice was cut off by the sound of a branch snapping. Her panicked hand slipped as she tried to take hold of the branch above her. Then she tumbled below, scraping her collar against a sharp twig on the long fall down._

Maddie's voice pulled Nina away from memory lane. "It's time to go." The Choosing Ceremony would start soon.

Nina took the apple from Maddie's hand, and bit into it, savoring the last bite. Then she tossed the core onto the ground, softly squeezed Maddie's hand and repeated her. "It's time to go."

* * *

Nina sat between her parents at The Hub. She tapped her foot nervously, staring off into space. Her parents shared knowing looks above her head. Though Nina was bound to never share the results of her Aptitude Test with anyone, they could guess what the result was. Nina had always been daring and competitive. Her tenacious personality was no fit for the peaceful and carefree faction she'd been born in.

Nina knew this too, but she couldn't deny the butterflies in her stomach. _'Is this the right choice?'_ she wondered internally. Nina turned to look at her friend, who sat a few seats above with her family. Maddie caught Nina's eye, gave her a determined look and mouthed "together." Nina nodded with a resolute expression and turned forward as the Choosing Ceremony began.

This year's presenter was Marcus Eaton, a leader from Amity. She noticed some people in the crowd sharing hushed, angry whispers, but she didn't know what about. Nina zoned out as the opening speech was made, her thoughts elsewhere. The boy in front of her, with bright curly hair, was a cheerful fellow with a lovely singing voice. She was sure he'd choose Amity. Nearby was a girl with a dark pony tail and a pointy chin, who always had her nose in a book. She would surely choose Erudite. '_And what of me?'_ thought Nina,_ 'What shall I choose?' _

Nina's mother, Helen, gently took her hand and flipped it palm-up. She used her nail to etch into Nina's hand "I love you." Nina's eyes welled up with tears at the gesture. She would never again sit peacefully by a warm fire with her father. She would never again hear her mother sing her favorite lullaby, a traditional song about a phoenix. The names were called alphabetically by last name. Nina's full name was called twentieth. "Marina Jorgensen." She gave her parents one last hug. Her father clapped her on her shoulder, struggling not to cry. Her mother whispered into Nina's ear, "You are my phoenix."

Nina's knees trembled as she approached the five bowls, but her arm was steady as she took the ceremonial knife from the representative. The cool weight of the handle felt right in her hand. She briefly peered into the crowd of Dauntless. The keen twinkle in their eyes expressed bravery, ambition, and fearlessness. In that moment, she was steadfast in her decision. Though the rich, familiar soil of Amity's bowl tempted her, the lit coals of Dauntless were what truly called her home.

Nina deftly ran the blade across her hand. She let the blood gather in her palm for a moment. Then she shot her hand above the bowl of her choice and let her blood spill. It sizzled on the burning coals, then cheers erupted behind her.

* * *

Nina and Maddie exited The Hub side by side, running with the other Dauntless initiates, wide smiles on both of their faces. Surrounding Dauntless members hooted with joy as they approached the train tracks at full speed, and Nina and Maddie copied their wild yells of jubilation. Momentum pushed them onwards when they arrived at the ladders that led to the railway above.

Nina took hold of a rung and easily scampered up. "It's just like climbing a tree!" Nina laughed, deftly climbing the ladder as she'd watched the Dauntless-born do.

"It's nothing like climbing a tree, you damn tree-hugger," came a joking voice from below her. When Nina reached the top, she turned to appraise the jokester. A dark-skinned young man dressed in all white playfully smirked at her as he stepped up from the ladder. "Well, maybe a little" he admitted with a grin.

"There's no time to chat, you fools," rang Maddie's spirited voice from beside her. "Look at the Dauntless-born. They're jumping up onto the moving train!"

"Those crazy assholes," laughed the boy. "Come on then. Let's do it!"

The three initiates ran together and pulled themselves up into an open compartment. Nina watched as some of the other initiates struggled to board the compartment, and she lent a few a helping hand. In that moment, she was grateful for her upper body strength from years of climbing trees and picking apples.

The boy stuck his hand out for a handshake. "My name's Amir-Ali, but you can just call me Amir. I'm from Candor - obviously." his hand motioned towards his white clothes, the color worn by members of Candor.

Nina smiled and shook his hand. "My name's Marina but only my parents use that name. Most people just call me Nina."

Maddie laughed. "My name's Maddie. Just Maddie. We're from Amity."

Amir glanced out through the doorway. "Well, it looks as if our destination is fast approaching, Just Maddie," he said teasingly. Maddie poked him in the side.

Nina stuck her head outside and confirmed Amir's assertion. Looming ahead, several feet below the track, was a roof. People dressed in all black were jumping out of the compartments ahead of them, landing gracefully on the roof.

"We have to jump," said Nina. Maddie and Amir lined up beside her. "Ready? On the count of three. One, two, - three!"

Nina leapt from the train, and landed awkwardly on the grey pavement. Her ankle rolled slightly, and the cut on her hand from the ceremony opened anew. Maddie and Amir fell beside her, equally as badly as she had.

"That's gonna hurt tomorrow," winced Amir, rubbing his knee. The white fabric at his knees was ripped and stained.

Nina turned and watched the last train compartment fly by. One, solitary girl dressed in a pale grey dress stood in the doorway, tears streaming down her pale face. She was too scared to jump. And now she was Factionless.

"Alright, everyone, gather around." A deep voice pulled Nina from her thoughts. A young man with crossed arms and a stern expression on his face appraised the initiates. Behind him was an abyss in the roof.

"My name's Eric, and I'm a faction leader. If you want to join Dauntless, you're going to have to jump to get there." The sunlight made his lip ring sparkle as his lips moved, and Nina felt fluttering in the pit of her stomach. Eric smirked as he assessed the group before him. "So, who's gonna go first?"

A chorus of whispers broke out in the group. One boy shook his head in disbelief. Another appeared as though he were about to pass out. Nina and Maddie looked at each other simultaneously and shared determined smiles. They made their way through the crowd to the front.

As Nina approached the abyss she noticed an expression of interest on Eric's face. "What do you think you're doing? Jumping together?" he asked, with one skeptical eyebrow raised.

Nina and Maddie stepped up to the edge of the hole and clasped hands. Nina looked down into the darkness but did not falter. "Together," they answered assertively, before jumping through the abyss to the unknown depths below.


	2. Ignite

**Welcome all to my first Divergent fanfiction (original novel by Veronica Roth.) This story is rated T for ****_moderate _**violence, language, and sexual themes. Please review; I'd love to read your feedback.

**Ciao, Gabrielle.**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Ignite**

Nina landed on a soft surface that bounced her back up several feet in the air. When the material beneath her finally settled, she had to untangle her legs from Maddie's. "Get your stinky foot away from my face, Big Foot," Nina teased Maddie, shoving the girl's foot away before rolling from the middle of the trampoline to the edge. A hand shot up to help her down.

"Two jumpers, that's new." A young man with short-cropped dark hair assessed the two girls with a curious expression. "What are your names?"

The two girls spoke at the same time, then repeated their names for clarity. The man turned away to await the next jumper. A young woman with piercings adorning her face and ears recorded their names. She smiled up at them. "First jumpers." She motioned towards a side chamber. "Just wait in there for the other jumpers to arrive. We'll get you when we're ready. I'm Lauren by the way, and that's Four."

Nina gave Lauren a grin and a thumbs up, then waited with Maddie as instructed. The room slowly filled with the other initiates. Amir found his way to the girls, and the three chatted quietly as they waited with anticipation.

"So, what do you think happens next?" asked Amir. "In Candor, the initiation process involves lie detectors and truth serums. Basically, you have to prove that you're 100% honest and open."

"God, that sounds awful," answered Maddie. "I'm a terrible liar." Nina nodded in affirmation with a mocking expression, and Maddie jabbed her in the side. "Anyways, the initiation process in Amity is a joke. It's just about making friends and singing songs and dancing like maniacs." Maddie made a fake gagging noise.

Nina rolled her eyes. "Well, I have a feeling that things are about to get really hard. I'm sure that the initiation process here is tough. What -"

Nina's voice was interrupted by a familiar masculine voice. "Settle down, Initiates. Play time is over." The young man, Eric, that had greeted the group on the roof was appraising them now. His tattooed arms were crossed sternly over his broad chest.

Four appeared behind Eric with Lauren and said "The three of us will be your initiation leaders. Training starts today."

The instructors turned and began to lead the group down a winding corridor. "Welcome to Dauntless headquarters. You better learn your way around here quickly," said Eric. "We're not here to baby you." Nina noticed Lauren roll her eyes. She caught the girl's eye and Lauren winked.

The walls of the underground cavern were lined with grey stones. Nina ran her hand along the cool surface as she followed the group up steep stairs. The leaders took turns explaining the layout of Dauntless headquarters, and Nina listened closely to avoid getting lost. The steps she climbed were narrow and had no railing. She lost her footing and gasped, grabbing hold of the person in front of her to regain balance.

She turned to look up at the person whose arm she had grabbed. Eric turned slowly and appraised her with steel blue eyes. "Watch your step. No one's here to catch you if you fall."

Nina nodded and paled, retracting her hold from his muscular arm. _'For fuck's sake,'_ Nina thought,_ 'what's this guy's problem?' _Maddie pinched Nina's arm lightly and widened her eyes with concern. Someone behind Nina whispered harshly "Watch it, Pansy." She didn't turn to see who it was.

The large group was split, leaving Nina in a group with twelve other transfers. She noticed that she and Maddie were the only Amity transfers. The rest were all from Candor or Erudite. Nina thought of the Abnegation girl from the train that had failed to jump, and wondered what she was doing now.

Lauren showed the transfers to their dormitory, a large room with bunk beds lining the walls. Adjacent was an open floor-plan unisex lavatory. Lauren clapped her hands to get everyone's attention. "Listen up. In the middle of the room you'll find an assortment of clothing. Pick a few things to wear that are your size. You can get more clothing later using the points we told you about. On your way to the Pit, throw your old clothing into the lit fire. You won't need those rags anymore." She winked and gave a devilish grin, then left after explaining the agenda for the rest of the day.

After changing into black training attire, Nina approached the fire in the corridor. She rolled her old clothing into a bundle and brought it tenderly up to her nose. She breathed in the familiar smell of Amity. She set down the clothing and breathed in the air around her. The cavern was cool and refreshing. Dauntless was home now. Nina threw the clothing into the flames and turned away without a second glance.

* * *

The transfers convened in the training room after lunch. Adjacent to this training room was another reserved for the Dauntless-born initiates.

Eric and Four stood in the middle of the training room, arms adamantly crossed. Eric stared expectantly at the transfers. "Well, what are you waiting for?" Eric asked. The initiates fidgeted under the intensity of his glare, not knowing what to do. "Get on the ground!" he bellowed, causing Nina to flinch.

Nina dropped quickly to the ground and started doing push-ups with her peers. Eric instructed them not to stop until Four was done talking.

Four rubbed his hands together and began to pace in front of the transfers. "This is stage one of your initiation process, physical endurance. We'll be pushing your body beyond its limits. You'll be trained in hand-to-hand combat and the use of firearms. In addition to this, you will all have the opportunity to select one additional fighting style or weapon to specialize in."

Despite Nina's strong upper body strength from years of picking apples and climbing trees, she began to pant. She could feel the fabric on her back sticking to her body with sweat. She watched out of the corner of her eye as Eric started walking between the rows of transfers, assessing their postures with a stern expression. Nina heard a thud from behind her; someone had given up. "Are you kidding?" barked Eric, "Get the hell up." The person behind Nina resumed the agonizing exercise.

Four continued. "In stage one, you'll be training and practicing separately from the Dauntless-initiates. At the end of each day, you'll be scored against each other according to your strengths and abilities." He paused momentarily. "Only those ten of you who are ranked highly enough will move on to stage two."

Nina's arms quivered with exertion as she did the math in her head. A voice to her left cried out in outrage, "What the fuck? You're gonna cut three of us?!" It was a raven-haired girl named Tae, whom Nina had overhead earlier complaining about the lack of privacy.

Eric's shoes passed closely to Nina. She looked down and concentrated on her push-ups to avoid catching his attention. His boot settled lightly on Tae's back. "What did you say?" Tae's body shuddered but she did not answer. Eric pressed down on the girl's back, and she collapsed. "If you can't handle the pressure, then you can't handle Dauntless."

Eric's boots approached Nina once more. Rivulets of sweat ran down her shaking arms. Nina felt Eric's boot come down lightly on her lower back. "What about you, Hippie girl? Can you handle the pressure?" His boot pressed firmly down and Nina concentrated all her strength into her triceps. Eric pressed down ever harder, trying to make Nina collapse. "Can you handle Dauntless?"

The weight was almost too much to bear. Nina shuddered as her body came briefly to the floor and then she exerted all her energy into pushing herself back up using the muscles in her arms and chest. "Yes. I. Can." She forced each word out with as much passion as she could muster. She picked up the pace and forced her arms to work harder and faster despite the heavy weight of Eric's boot on her back.

Eric took his foot off and crouched down to her eye-level. He slipped his hand onto her stomach and lightly tapped her abdomen. "Keep these muscles tight." Nina's skin radiated heat where his hand had briefly touched and she felt her cheeks flush. She tightened her abdominal muscles as instructed and instantly felt her posture improve. She looked up and saw a smug expression on Eric's face as he stepped away and continued walking among the other initiates.

When Four finally finished explaining the three stages of the initiation process, Nina and the other transfers collapsed in exhaustion. Her body gasped for air and her arms quivered like jello, but Nina was satisfied.

* * *

**As you can tell, I'm adding some of my own creative elements to this fanfiction. What do you think Nina's weapon or combat style of choice should be? Let me know in a review!**


	3. Enkindle

**Welcome all to my first Divergent fanfiction (original novel by Veronica Roth.) This story is rated T for ****_moderate _**violence, language, and sexual themes. Please review; I'd love to read your feedback.

**Ciao, Gabrielle.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Enkindle**

Nina's sore arms trembled as she pulled a clean shirt over her head. She stared enticingly at the bunk bed she shared with Maddie, wishing she could crawl under the covers. Maddie apparently had similar thoughts. She collapsed onto the bottom bunk wearing only a towel wrapped around her freshly showered body. They'd survived their first afternoon of training. Nina tickled Maddie's foot and narrowly avoided getting kicked in the head. "Hey, that's my bed!"

Maddie smiled and got up. "I know. I'm just so tired! I guess we better go to dinner."

Nina raked her fingers through her dark, freshly washed hair, attempting to untangle the knots. "I'm starving so hurry up," she said, sticking her tongue out at her friend.

In the dining hall, Nina and Maddie sat at a table with Amir, who had saved the girls two spots. Maddie and Amir immediately began talking about the initiation process. Nina listened in quietly, tuned in to her own thoughts. Three other initiates sharing the table talked amongst themselves. The boy sitting beside Nina turned towards her. His dark eyes met Nina's, and his thin lips turned up into a smirk. "Are you hippies enjoying initiation so far?"

Nina's eyebrow rose. "It's fine," she answered curtly, not willing to engage the boy in conversation. She turned away and took a bite of her hamburger, hoping to disengage.

"I guess the hardest part so far was climbing those stairs, huh, pansy?" The boy's cruel smirk widened. Apparently he was the name-caller who'd witnessed her trip on the stairs earlier in the day.

Nina rolled her eyes and didn't answer. She took another bite of her burger and chewed it angrily. She could feel her temperature beginning to rise. Nina had to remind herself that others' opinions of her would not be considered in the rankings. It would benefit her in no way to make an enemy on day one. She pointedly turned her back on the boy and leaned forward to join Maddie and Amir's conversation.

The boy's fingers pinched Nina's arm tightly, twisting her skin and leaving a red mark. "Ignoring me won't change reality, pansy. You have no chance of survival here," he taunted.

Nina whipped around and knocked the boy's arm away from her. The sudden movement surprised the boy, causing his drink cup to fly from his hand and soar several feet away. The full cup was upturned and emptied onto someone sitting at an adjacent table before it clashed to the ground. There was a lull in surrounding conversations as people turned to see the source of the commotion. "Don't _ever _touch me," Nina hissed quietly, trying not generate any additional unnecessary attention.

Nina murmured to Maddie that she wanted some time alone. She pushed her chair away from the table, the chair legs screeching against the floor. Simultaneously, the person whose back had been soaked by the errant cup turned to identify the culprit. It was Eric, and he was fuming. He grabbed the boy's shirt by the collar and lifted him from his seat. "Tomorrow morning I want you in the training room at dawn running sprints until the rest of the initiates show up. Next time you fuck with me, I'm throwing you down the chasm. Got it?"

The boy paled and nodded, and Eric dropped him on the floor. Nina quickly left the dining hall, hoping to avoid crossing Eric's line of fire. Her knees trembled with anger and her fists were closed tightly. She hoped some time alone would help her cool off.

Heavy footsteps followed her out of the dining room into the pit. She turned to see Eric storming out, his wet shirt clinging tightly to his skin. Nina appraised him warily, hoping he hadn't come to punish her as well. She crossed her arms and looked away from Eric, to a distant spot above his face. "I apologize for my behavior," she said through gritted teeth. "He was pushing my buttons."

Eric pulled his soaked shirt off over his head and crumpled it into a ball. His toned muscles rippled as he squeezed liquid out of the fabric. "Well next time someone pushes your buttons, try not to ruin my clothing." He angrily tossed the wet shirt away from him. It hit the cavern wall and slid down.

"Don't be so melodramatic, it's just water." Nina rolled her eyes and picked up the shirt. "I'll even wash it for you. Happy?" She offered, her words dripping with sarcasm.

Eric pushed his finger into Nina's face. "Don't give me attitude."

Nina defiantly put her hands to her hips. "Don't dish it out if you can't take it."

Eric's face came directly in front of hers, his icy eyes penetrating her hazel ones. Nina flinched but didn't back away. Eric was standing close enough that she could feel the warmth of his breath on her face. "Watch your mouth. I can make your life miserable here."

Before Nina could retort, someone interrupted by calling out Eric's name. It was Max, the man Lauren had explained was the leader of Dauntless. Before stepping away, Eric shot Nina a cold, intense look warning that he would not forget about this incident.

* * *

The next morning, Nina's body ached in ways she hadn't even known were possible. She groaned into her pillow and pulled it over her face to block the light.

"Get up, get up, get up," sang Maddie. She began to prod Nina in the side.

Nina swatted away her hand. "I hate you. Go away."

"I brought you breakfast," said Maddie sweetly with her singsong voice.

Nina lifted the pillow and looked up wearily. Maddie was holding a muffin in one hand and an apple in the other. Nina smiled and took the goods from her friend. "Just kidding, I love you." Nina bit into the apple first. The taste was sweet and made Nina feel nostalgic. She wondered how her parents were doing, and if they missed her like she missed them. When she spotted Eric's black shirt, which she'd hung up to dry at the end of the bed the night before, she reminded herself to avoid his attention today.

Nina ate quickly and joined the group of transfers in the training room on time. She was pleased to see the boy whom she'd had an altercation with the night before, whose name she'd learned was Clark, sweating from his forced early-morning routine. Her mood instantly soured when Eric and Four walked in the door. Eric had a calculating expression on his face that made Nina nervous.

"Initiates," began Four, "today we will be training you in the art of physical combat. Starting tomorrow, you'll be pitted randomly against each other to fight. Your ability to block and hit your opponent will be a determining factor in your ranking."

Four stepped into the arena, which had a matted platform used during fights. "Before you start, Eric and I will demonstrate-"

Eric cut Four off as he stepped onto the platform. "Actually, I have something better in mind. We'll have one of the initiates help demonstrate." Eric gave Four a stern look that dared him to argue. Four's face tightened and he stepped off the mat. Eric shot the group a smug smile and cracked his knuckles. "Nina?"

Nina mentally kicked herself in the ass for having ever argued with Eric. Clark gave Nina the middle finger as she passed through the group. She stepped onto the mat and cautiously approached Eric, a grim expression on her face.

Eric spoke to the group. "The first thing you need to learn is how to block your opponent." He stepped behind Nina and rotated her hips into the proper stance. His hands curled over hers, forcing Nina to close her fists, and lifted her fists to her temples. "You need to keep your fists up at all times. Don't let your guard down."

Eric's knee nudged Nina's legs apart and he tapped her leg behind her knee, forcing Nina's legs to loosen. "Don't be stiff. You need to keep your legs relaxed if you want to move quickly. Stand with your feet a shoulder width apart, toes facing forward." Eric roughly grabbed Nina's chin and positioned it downwards. "Your opponent is going to try to strike your face. Tuck your chin to avoid that. If you get hit in the face, that's a broken nose or a cut. Getting blood in your eyes will impair your ability to see, and your opponent will easily take you down."

Eric swung his foot up at Nina, and she instinctively flinched away. "Wrong," he said sternly. "That reaction leaves you open for attack. You need to duck at your knees and land a strike on your way back up." Eric quickly swept his leg up at Nina's face again. She ducked properly and launched a sloppy punch to Eric's face. He easily deflected it.

Eric threw a punch at Nina's face, striking her at her right cheek. He hit hard enough to hurt but softly enough that it wouldn't leave a mark. Nina glared at Eric and threw another punch towards him. He nimbly blocked it again and smirked. "Watch the way I block," he told the initiates. "I twist my torso slightly and use my forearm to catch the hit. Remember to keep your fists up. Never leave your face unguarded." Eric lobbed his fist at Nina's face once more. This time she rotated her hips and angled her forearm up to deflect the punch.

"When it comes to punching your opponent, you don't want to be sloppy like Nina." She shot Eric a dark glare, which he ignored. "You want to land a strong, clean punch with lots of force behind it. Don't rely on just your upper body strength. Use your legs and torso to add power to your punch. Rotate your fist horizontally as you strike and immediately return to base position to block." Eric threw a jab to Nina's nose that she failed to block. "That would have been a broken nose if I had put any power behind it."

Nina nodded and wiped away a small trickle of blood from her nostril. She mimicked Eric's strike, landing a good punch on his chin. She felt momentarily pleased with herself. Then he swept his leg quickly under her and suddenly Nina was on her back, the wind knocked out of her lungs. Eric's knees were on either side of her body and one hand pushed down on Nina's upper chest, pinning her to the ground. Nina tried to wriggle her body to get Eric off of her. He shot her a look that made Nina blush and instantly stop wriggling.

"This is a dominant position," explained Eric. "It's the best position to be in when you're fighting, because you can easily strike, choke-hold, or lock an opponent." Eric displayed a few different grappling techniques using light punches that Nina attempted to deflect.

"If you find yourself in the guard position, there are a few techniques you can use to overpower and escape your opponent." Eric flipped Nina so that now he was on his back with Nina sitting on his abdomen. Nina glared fiercely at Eric, eager to show off what she'd learned. She leaned down and put Eric in a choke-hold, and whispered into his ear, "Are you done treating me like a punching bag yet?"

Eric rotated his hips and pushed his knee up, forcing Nina to let go. Nina found herself on the ground once again, this time with her legs tangled with Eric's. Eric smirked down at her. "If you fail to break guard you can also try to land a few punches. Often the person in the dominant position is unable to properly deflect blows." Nina dealt two consecutive blows, striking Eric at the temple and his nose. She clamped her thighs around Eric's torso to limit his hip mobility and tried to regain the dominant position. Eric momentarily lost balance but Nina was unable to break guard. He dealt one final, soft blow to Nina's chin, then got off her. Eric offered her a hand up, but Nina scoffed and stood up without his aid. "Use the punching bags and training equipment to practice until lunch." When the transfers didn't immediately move, Eric barked, "Now!"

Nina chose a punching bag beside Maddie and Amir, and the three began practicing their strikes. Four and Eric weaved among the initiates, occasionally offering tips or changing someone's posture. When the leaders were on the other side of the room, Maddie locked eyes with Nina. "What the _fuck _was that about."

Nina shrugged. "I don't know what you're talking about." She alternated left and right hand strikes. She felt herself automatically improving the power and speed of her punches every time Eric looked her way, the heat of his gaze intensifying her strikes.

"Like hell you don't!" muttered Maddie.

"Well… I may or may not have given him attitude…" confessed Nina, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible.

Maddie playfully struck at Nina's shoulder. "You're a dumbass, you know?"

Nina chuckled and punched back, "I know." Then she swept her sweat-soaked hair into a ponytail and struck the bag repeatedly until her hands were bruised and bloodied.

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Shout out to the two lovely readers who left me reviews - your feedback means the world to me.**


	4. Burn

**Welcome all to my first Divergent fanfiction (original novel by Veronica Roth.) This story is rated T for ****_moderate _**violence, language, and sexual themes. Please review; I'd love to read your feedback.

**Ciao, Gabrielle.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Burn**

Nina managed to avoid a run-in with Eric for the rest of the afternoon. Likewise, he didn't seem to seek her out. She sometimes felt him intently watching her, but when she turned to check, his eyes were always elsewhere. Any instructions she received in her training came exclusively from Four.

While Nina changed into fresh clothing after her shower, Maddie lounged on the top bunk, one forearm crossed over her eyes to block out the light.

Nina playfully wriggled Maddie's pinky toe. "Hey princess, you coming to dinner or not?"

"Mmm," Maddie lifted her forearm to look at Nina. "Actually, I was wondering if you could just bring me something? I don't feel very well."

"Sure, no problem." Nina assessed Maddie with mild concern as she slipped a shirt over her head. "What's wrong?"

Maddie shrugged. "I'm not sure. I'm just really lightheaded."

Nina frowned. "You're probably just worn out from training. Take a nap while everyone's at dinner, ok girl? I'll wake you up when I get back."

Maddie smiled weakly and gave Nina a thumbs up.

Nina sat with Amir at dinner. Clark and his cronies had taken to sitting at a different table in light of last night's catastrophe. Nina had noticed with pleasure that Clark blanched every time Eric looked at him, and that Eric had been especially hard on him today in the training room.

Amir tore a bun in half and knit his brows together. "I wonder why Maddie isn't feeling well. She looked pale after training. I hope she's ok."

Nina nodded and waved her hand. "She'll be fine, she just needs some rest." She playfully wriggled her eyebrows. "Youseem _awfully _concerned, my friend. Maybe you should play doctor with her." She winked seductively.

Amir scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Nina, don't go there."

Nina faked incredulousness. "What? What did I do?" She mimicked an expression of angelic innocence.

"I know what's on your filthy mind," Amir accused.

Nina threw her head back in laughter and tossed her bun at him. "Whatever, lover boy." Amir caught the bun and bit into it with a cheeky smile.

"So, have you thought at all about what weapon you want to choose next week? I'm thinking of choosing a knife. Seems cool," Amir pretended to slash Nina.

Nina cocked her head. "Yea, a knife does sound cool." She imagined herself spinning with a dagger and fiercely stabbing an opponent, and grinned darkly.

When they finished dinner, Nina wrapped a piece of chocolate cake in a napkin for Maddie. Amir insisted that he also bring her a burger. Nina smirked as they walked out with their goodies in hand. "All a girl needs is chocolate, lover boy. Trust me, she'll eat the cake first."

Amir and Nina visited the tattoo parlour to waste time after dinner. They didn't want to get tattoos yet without Maddie, so they merely scanned the photo albums and admired the inkwork. Amir flipped through a book with images of facial piercings, then gazed at himself thoughtfully in the mirror. He ran his finger lightly over his eyebrow, turning his face side to side as he scrutinized himself. Nina nudged his hip and whispered, "You know, Maddie has a thing for guys with facial piercings…" Amir grinned and plopped down in the piercer's chair without hesitation.

A woman with dark skin and coiled dreads cleaned Amir's nose with a cotton swab. "What about you, hun," she asked Nina. "Getting a piercing as well, or a tattoo?"

Nina shrugged thoughtfully. "Hmm. Maybe." She hopped onto the counter and kicked her feet.

The woman winked, "You're not too scared, are ya?"

"No, I'm not," snapped Nina.

"Meow. I'm only teasing. Lighten up, kitty cat."

"She gets a little defensive sometimes," Amir fake whispered.

Nina furrowed her eyebrows. "I do not!" Amir and the piercer chortled and Nina caved, sticking her tongue out. "Ok, ok, you're right. I'm Nina by the way."

"And I'm Sonya. Make sure you come back to get a tattoo or piercing, ok kitty cat?"

Nina smiled and assured Sonya that she would return soon.

When Nina and Amir arrived at the dormitory, they found Maddie pacing by the doorway. "Four came by while you guys were at dinner…" Maddie paused and bit her bottom lip. "He put the rankings up."

Nina dropped the chocolate cake into Maddie's hand and stormed up to the scoreboard. Her eyes skimmed over the thirteen rankings.

1. Q

2. Amir

3. Gregory

4. Alessandra

5. Maddie

6. Sebastian

7. Miles

8. Lana

9. Clark

10. Pamela

11. Nina

12. Jackson

13. Tae

Fury and humiliation washed over Nina as she collapsed onto her bottom bunk. The only people she'd ranked better than were a boy whose name she couldn't place a face to and that whiny-bitch Tae. If her ranking didn't improve, she would be kicked out. She'd worked _so hard _and nothing would come out of it. It wasn't fair. Dauntless wasn't fair. She _hated _Dauntless. They wanted to throw her out onto the streets to be Factionless and ruin her life.

Maddie tentatively approached and sat on the bottom bunk beside Nina, who turned away with shame. "Nina…" said Maddie carefully. "It's only day one. You can improve."

Nina tried to bite back spiteful words but failed. "Easy for you to say. You're ranked well." She huffed and blinked tears of anger away from her eyes. Crying when angry was what she considered one of her worst traits. She slammed her fist angrily against the pillow. "I suck. I don't belong here."

Maddie began to hum a traditional Amity tune that Nina adored. Nina closed her eyes, and Maddie began to sing.

_"There is an ancient bird they say_

_With plumes of golden fiery rays_

_And it will die, and it will die._

_But from the ashes where it rest_

_Arises flames of warm caress_

_And it will rise, and it will rise._

_The phoenix will ever rebirth_

_Eternal soul of sun and earth_

_And it will fly, and it will fly."_

Nina's deep breaths slowed and her pulse relaxed. Her heart felt heavy with nostalgia. "I wish you would sing more often. You have such a lovely voice."

Maddie lay her hand on Nina's shoulder. "Marina, listen to me." She rarely used Nina's given name. "You are one of the strongest people I know. You _belong _in Dauntless. This is your home. You just need to fight for it."

Nina meditated on Maddie's words as the tears dried on her face. Every fiber of her being yearned for Dauntless. There had never been a trace of doubt in Nina's mind that this was where she belonged. She could choose to complain about her poor ranking, or she could choose to do something about it.

Nina rolled over and wrapped her arms around her friend to express her gratitude. "Maddie, what would I ever do without you? You keep me grounded." She exhaled and broke eye contact with Maddie, ashamed. "Also... I'm sorry for snapping at you. I know it's not your fault."

Maddie laughed and kissed Nina's forehead, accepting her apology. Amir sat beside the two girls. "Nina, you're a tough cookie. Your ranking will go up. You just have to work hard."

Nina nodded thoughtfully. Maddie reached over and gently nudged Amir's face, angling it away so she could admire his new piercing. "Oh, nice eyebrow ring. I like it!"

Nina winked at Amir and mouthed "Told ya so!"

While Nina and Amir chatted, Nina slipped on her sneakers and pulled her hair into a ponytail. She stood and stretched a bit to loosen her muscles. "I'm gonna go train."

Maddie's eyes widened. "Are you sure? It's already getting late and we have to wake up early."

Nina's eyes lit up passionately and she lowered her voice. "I need to do this. I need to prove that I belong in Dauntless."

* * *

The halls were quiet and the cavern lights were dim. Nina moved stealthily and hoped to find the training door unlocked. Just as she was about to round the corner, she heard hushed voices ahead. She crouched and listened intently.

"The Divergent are a threat to our faction system. We have reason to believe that the Abnegation are illegally housing the Divergent and plotting to overthrow the current system." The voice was Max's.

Nina's eyes widened when she heard Eric respond. She peeked around the corner and saw his muscular frame pacing in front of Max. "Marcus Eaton is such a piece of shit… And this is all information that Jeanine has uncovered? What is the plan to prevent the corruption from spreading?"

The two men continued down the hall away from her, preventing her from further eavesdropping. Nina rose when she was sure the men were gone, and moved silently towards the training room. She jiggled the door handle and was glad to find it unlocked. She slipped inside and eased the door closed behind her.

Nina jogged in place to warm up. Her pulse raced as she processed what she had overheard. '_Why would the Abnegation possibly want to overthrow the government?' _The Abnegation were selfless and good. Nina couldn't imagine a faction least likely to be corrupt. '_And what is Divergent, anyways?' _Nina couldn't remember having ever heard the term in any of her classes. Max made it seem like the Divergent were a group of terrorists, intent on ruining the factions. '_If that's so, why haven't we been taught about them?'_

A pit of uneasiness grew in Nina's stomach as she realized the gravity of what she had just overheard. Erudite and Dauntless were secretly working together to oust Abnegation and now Nina knew about it_. _Nina wondered what would happen to her if one of the leaders found out what she'd learned. She shivered at the thought. She couldn't tell anyone, not even Maddie. She couldn't risk getting her friend in trouble.

Nina began to practice her kicks on a punching bag. Her muscles were in agony but she forced herself to push past the pain. She forced her anger and fears into each kick.

"You're gonna pull a hamstring if you keep kicking that way."

Nina spun around in shock and faced Eric. He was leaning against the wall behind her, his muscular arms crossed over his broad chest. His jaw was tight, and Nina briefly imagined running her fingers over his rough stubble.

She choked back the feeling and mimicked Eric's stance. "How long have you been watching me?" Nina was jittery. Did he know what she'd found out?

"Long enough to know that you suck at kickboxing," he stated smugly.

"Fuck you!" spat Nina, glaring intensely at Eric. His eyes smoldered and he smirked. Nina felt a pull of hot desire from her core.

"You're not supposed to be here after hours," continued Eric.

Nina shrugged apathetically. "The door was unlocked. Are you going to kick me out or can I stay?"

Eric didn't answer. He approached Nina and nodded towards the punching bag. "Show me your front kick again."

Nina sighed and complied. The moment her foot extended, Eric shoved her in her lower back. Nina immediately fell out of balance and stumbled. "What the hell, Eric?!"

"You're not displacing your weight correctly. You need to distribute your weight evenly and tighten the muscles at the center of your body. Try again."

Nina narrowed her eyes cautiously at Eric. She practiced her kick again, this time following Eric's advice. Her kick immediately felt stronger, and the tight, painful pull on her hamstrings disappeared. She smiled and kicked again, pleased with the improvement. Her eyes sought Eric's, subconsciously desiring his approval. He simply nodded, an unreadable expression on his face, and said "Be on time tomorrow. Or else."

* * *

Nina awoke with a start to an empty room. She frantically threw on her sneakers and clothing, and raced out the door. When she arrived at the training room, she peeked her head through the open doorway. The group was convened in an arch facing the arena, where Four was reading out the list of today's fighting assignments. Eric stood off to the side in the shadows. Nina tip-toed in fugitively. The instructors had made it quite clear that being late to training would result in points being deducted from an initiate's final score.

Suddenly, Nina's eyes met Eric's cold ones. Her breath caught in her throat, expecting an angry outburst from him. Instead, he looked away casually. Confused, Nina slipped into the group unnoticed by anyone other than Maddie, who leaned over and whispered "I tried to wake you!" Nina tried to concentrate on Four, but her eyes kept drifting to Eric.

Four finished announcing the day's line-up and stepped down. Eric stepped onto the platform and cracked his knuckles. "Initiates. You will fight as long as it takes. You will not back down and you will not show mercy. The fight ends when someone loses consciousness or concedes. Conceding will cost you points in your ranking." The authority in Eric's curt voice sent a shiver of pleasure down Nina's spine. She frowned. '_Get over it, Nina. He's bad news.'_

Nina stretched as the first fighters stepped into the arena. The two fighters, Sebastian and Miles, were ranked fairly evenly, if Nina could recall correctly. She leaned in to observe attentively. She could potentially fight either of them in the next week and she wanted to learn their strengths and weaknesses.

Sebastian and Miles circled one another apprehensively. "What are you waiting for, initiates?" barked Eric. "Fight!"

The fight lasted only a few minutes, and ended when Miles conceded, his hand clutching his broken finger. Sebastian had been faster and more confident with his blows.

Nina's name was called next and she entered the arena. Her stomach flipped when a boy named Q stepped up. Q had announced his one-lettered name on the day they'd arrived at Dauntless, and he hadn't spoken since then. He was over a foot taller than Nina and his dark arms were as thick as her legs. He was ranked first.

Nina uneasily gauged her opponent. Suddenly Q's arm shot out, clocking Nina in the cheek. Her head snapped back. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Q's fist fly to her face once more. She ducked and then kicked him in the shin, causing him to stumble back. Q's eyes narrowed and he kicked Nina in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her. She doubled over in pain but forced herself to stand strong. Q's large fist approached her temple but she quickly snapped her forearm up and deflected the strike. She then swung her arm forward and landed a solid punch on Q's neck.

Q launched himself at Nina, who gasped in pain as her back was slammed to the ground. Q reared up and slammed his elbow against her face, a loud crack reverberating. Her sight went momentarily black with pain. Her nose felt like it had been set on fire. Nina shoved her knee against Q's stomach and tried to roll him off her. She grabbed Q's finger and pulled back, causing him to roar. His fists descended on her face one after another. Nina felt blood running down her nasal cavity to her throat, and she struggled to breath. A trickle of blood ran into her left eye, and Nina blindly reached up, feeling for Q's neck. Her fingers enclosed Q's throat and she squeezed with as much strength as she could muster. Her pulse drummed loudly in her ears, and she faintly heard Maddie crying out her name.

Q spoke for the first time since they'd arrived at Dauntless. "Concede, little girl." Nina retaliated by launching a weak punch to Q's ribcage. Then his fist cracked against her temple, and Nina lost consciousness.

* * *

Nina opened her eyes and discovered that she was facing the dark floor of the cavern. It was moving quickly under her like rushing water. She squeezed her eyes shut and resisted the urge to vomit. She was draped over somebody's muscular shoulder, her head softly bouncing with each step the person took. _Dad?, _she thought feebly. "Ugh, stop moving," she slurred out.

"Nina, shut up." The brusque voice was Eric's. Nina complied, only because talking hurt her throat. She was suddenly dropped onto a cot with a thin mattress.

Someone wiped a damp towel over her face to remove the blood. Fingers pried her eyes open. She sluggishly pushed the hand away and shut her eyes again. Her eyes were forced open and a bright light was beamed into her eyes. Nina moaned but kept her eyes narrowly open. Someone's hand appeared in front of her face. "How many fingers am I holding up?"

Nina squinted and tried to concentrate. The hand kept morphing; she wasn't sure how many hands the person was holding up. Nina did not want to let on how badly she was disoriented, and refused to answer the question seriously. "52. This is stupid."

The person chuckled. Nina's vision slowly adjusted until she could see a blurry man treating her. "I think you have a mild concussion. And a broken nose. I'm gonna have to snap it back in place. Ready?"

Nina shrugged. Flames of pain radiated across her face as her nose was manually re-adjusted. She choked back the yelp that rose in her chest.

"You should stay here and rest. I need to monitor you."

Nina jumped down from the cot and tipped forward. She grasped the edge of the cot to balance herself. "I'm fine. I want to watch the rest of the fights."

The man's hand gently pushed Nina back towards the cot. Nina shrugged her arm away. "I'm ok, really."

The man rolled his eyes. "Fine, whatever. Eric, keep an eye on her today. Bring her back if her symptoms get worse." Eric, who had been intently watching without Nina's knowledge, nodded and motioned for Nina to go ahead.

Nina exited the medical facility and tried to concentrate on taking steady steps, using the wall for balance.

"You're going the wrong way," stated Eric dryly from behind her.

"Oh." Nina turned and tried to ignore the resulting blur. She focused on each step she took, making sure not to trip. The cavern floor seemed to lurch beneath her.

"Can you walk any faster?" asked Eric tersely.

"Can you stop being such an asshole?" shot back Nina, pouting her lips. Eric rolled his eyes and she was suddenly scooped into his arms. Eric's pace immediately sped up.

Nina lolled her throbbing head against Eric's chest. "I guess this is nice. You could carry me everywhere. I'd never have to walk again." She breathed in his scent. It was cool like the cavern and fierce like a fire.

Eric chuckled darkly, "Don't expect this treatment often, your highness. Anyways, you still owe me."

Nina's eyes shot open and she glared inquisitively at Eric, whose face was still somewhat of a blur. "What are you talking about?"

"I told you not to be late this morning. You were late. You should have had three points docked from your final score, but I let you sneak in anyways. Now you owe me three times over."

She bit her bottom lip as she contemplated his proposal. "Fair enough. What do I owe you?"

Eric set Nina onto her feet outside of the entrance to the training room. "You have to clean my apartment this week."

Nina scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Really, Eric? I'm not impressed. You could do way better than that."

Eric glared at Nina. His jaw shifted tightly. "I'm not done yet. You also have to choose the chain as your weapon of specialization during weapons week."

Nina threw her hands up into the air. "No way! I was going to choose the knife! Who the fuck even uses a chain? That's, like, medieval!"

Eric coldly appraised Nina. "Everyone chooses the knife. Using a knife on an opponent gives you minimal advantage against them. You would be better with a chain. You're dexterous and a quick thinker." Nina blushed at the unexpected compliment. Eric shifted on his feet, an indecipherable gleam in his eyes. "Anyways, I'm the only person at Dauntless that knows how to use a chain. I need a practice partner."

A dark image of Eric fiercely attacking an opponent with a chain flashed before Nina's eyes and she felt incomprehensible hunger rip through her. She pushed the thought to the recesses of her mind and stubbornly crossed her arms. "Fine. What's the third task I owe you?"

Eric smirked and spoke huskily. "I have yet to decide what your third punishment is."

With that, Eric turned away and entered the training room. Nina felt the heat of lust scorch her chest. She took a moment to compose herself before following him in.

* * *

**Thank you all ****_so _****much for your continued support. I want you all to know that I genuinely take your reviews to heart and use your feedback to improve my writing.**


	5. Heat

**Welcome all to my first Divergent fanfiction (original novel by Veronica Roth.) This story is rated T for ****_moderate _**violence, language, and sexual themes. Please review; I'd love to read your feedback.

**Ciao, Gabrielle.**

* * *

**Chapter 5: Heat**

On the subsequent days that followed the first round of fights, the initiates gradually improved and solidified their fighting techniques. Nina continued to train solo late at night, and her rank steadily improved. On the night before the final day of combat, her posted score, at 7, bypassed Clark's, who glared at her maliciously. Earlier in the day, he had conceded to Nina, who had locked him in a chokehold that he was unable to escape from. She had bruises lining her ribcage to show for it, but she was pleased with her victory over the snotty boy.

Though she never again had to fight Q after the first day when he had absolutely wrecked her, Nina and the colossal young man had reached a truce of sorts. They mutually respected one another: Q, for having fought fairly and without sympathetic restraint; and Nina, for having been a formidable opponent who refused to concede. The young man had begin to sit with Nina, Maddie, and Amir during meals, although he still refused to speak.

During her late-night fugitive walks to the training room, Nina did not again encounter Max and Eric. However, she was unable to forget the words they had spoken, and her sleep was plagued with nightmares. Each night, she tossed and turned, her dreams filled with appearances by Max, Eric, Marcus Eaton, Jeanine, and unknown Divergent terrorists. Every morning she awoke aggravated and unrested, unable to decipher the mixed messages her brain was composing. Which faction was corrupt? Which faction could she trust?

Nina wasn't the only person haunted by her fears. Night after night, sobs and sniffles could be heard from Tae's bunk. The raven-haired girl had not improved at all, and only one week remained until eliminations. Her late night crying was keeping everyone from achieving a full night's sleep, and Tae began to get the stink-eye from everyone.

The morning of the final round of fights, Nina awoke feeling quite exhausted due to a combination of late-night training, nightmares, and Tae's crying. She stepped into the shower, hoping a cold shower might wake her up and relieve her headache. No sooner had she begun to enjoy her shower than she heard blubbering from the adjacent stall. She tried to ignore Tae's crying but it only get louder. Pain pulsed in her temple.

Nina thumped the stall wall. "Tae, please shut the fuck up for once!"

Tae immediately began to weep more loudly, wailing "I'm gonna -hic- get kicked out of -hic- Dauntless!"

The voices from the shower room began to attract the waking transfers, some of whom peeked their heads into the bathroom to see what the commotion was.

Nina furiously scrubbed shampoo into her scalp. "All you ever do is complain! How about instead of bitching, you actually try to improve!"

Tae's response was only to cry more. Nina rolled her eyes and banged on the stall a bit more as she rinsed off and dried off with a towel. When she stepped out of the shower, she was greeted by applause from some of the initiates, all of whom were just as frustrated with Tae as she was. Nina jokingly bowed, and someone wolf-whistled. She winked in the direction of the whistle and entered the dormitory to change.

The dormitory was in its usual state of commotion, with transfers dashing in and out from the dining hall and rushing to change. Maddie and Amir waited restlessly for her to finish so that they could get breakfast together.

"Um, guys…" said Nina, who was on the floor peeking under her bed. "I can't find my shoes anywhere." She reached blindly under the bed, running her hand across the dusty floor looking for her sneakers, which she _always _left in the same spot. Her hand brushed against a slip of paper.

When she finished reading the note, she threw her head back and groaned. Maddie immediately hunched down, an expression of sincere concern on her face. She took the note from Nina and read it as well, then turned to Amir. "It's her sneakers. Someone's left them on the roof."

Amir nodded sympathetically. "Whoever it is wants you to be late to training. You better go now, you might be able to make it back in time."

Nina gave her friends a thumbs up and they promised to save her something to eat. She rushed out of the door barefoot, and ran towards the pit, her steps muted on the cool cavern floor. As she raced around a corner, Nina smacked into someone's hard body.

"Where the hell are you going?" Eric glared, "and why are you barefoot?"

Nina hesitated. She didn't want to lie, but she felt uncomfortable exposing the fact that someone was trying to screw her over. That someone hated her and didn't want her in Dauntless. It made her feel weak and pathetic. "I'm just … going to breakfast. Sorry for running into you. Gotta go!" Nina breezed past Eric, whose expression made it clear that he hadn't believed a single word she'd said.

She took the stairs two at a time with ease, glad for having spent her childhood days running about barefoot. She briefly reflected on her physical improvements; a week ago, running up these steps would have made Nina's legs ache. She threw the door open and ran onto the roof, letting the door slam shut behind her. Her eyes skimmed the roof, but her sneakers were no where in sight.

"Come on, come on," Nina muttered as she jogged across the roof, her eyes sweeping the ground. The roof was bare except for stray beer bottles and a cigarette butts. Her shoes weren't here.

Nina pulled at her hair in frustration as she made her way back to the door. She lightly tugged at the door handle, but it wouldn't budge. She stared at the door in disbelief and yanked once more on the handle. It was locked. '_I'm an idiot. I'm an _idiot.' She slammed her fists against the door. "You fucker!" she screamed at the door. "Was it you Clark? Or you Tae?!" She kicked at the door, but she knew no one would hear her. The staircases that led to the roof were rarely used.

Nina bit her nails and looked around her. Adjacent to this roof was another, smaller roof, adjacent to the train track. She recognized the opening she'd jumped through on the day she'd arrived at Dauntless. Near the hole was another door that she hoped was unlocked.

She approached the edge of the roof and looked down at the next one. The roof was located a few feet away and several feet below from this one. To make the jump, she'd need to have a running start. As she backed away, she tried to remember if she'd been taught anything about properly landing a jump. '_Fuck it, I'll wing it.' _She raced to the edge of the roof and launched herself towards the next roof. She landed in a heap, dirt flying into her eyes. Her bare legs and feet were scraped and she assessed a trickle of blood running through the toes on her left foot. '_Eh. Could have been worse.'_

Nina quickly scanned this roof for her shoes but found that they were not there. She crossed her fingers as she made her way to the door of the roof. '_Please, oh please, oh please, oh-' S_he pulled on the door but it wouldn't budge. She rested her head against the steel door in defeat and drummed her nails against the door frame.

She turned and looked at the formidable hole in the roof. She slowly approached the edge of the opening and looked down. The drop was far and Nina could see only black. '_Do they keep the net at the bottom year 'round?' _She nervously bit her bottom lip and appraised the darkness below. She couldn't make out what lay at the end of the fall. '_I mean… they wouldn't just remove the net, right?' _

She anxiously paced the edge of the hole. The gravel dug into her bare soles, and she left small droplets of blood from the wounds she'd acquired from her jump. '_Fuck this. Fuck it all._ _Fuck__, I have the worst luck ever.'_ Nina stepped up to the mouth of the hole and made her decision. '_There's only one way to find out.' _She took a deep breath and prepared to fall.

"Nina, stop!" a panicked voice startled her. She lost balance and swayed forward towards the opening of the hole. Suddenly, two hands grabbed her waist and she was thrown back, away from the opening. Nina flew onto her back, landing on top of someone's warm body. She used her hand to brace the fall, and heard a muffled crack. She flipped over and saw Eric. Their legs were tangled together, bits of gravel and dirt coating Eric's dark pants and Nina's bare legs. Her heart was thumping loudly in her chest and her breaths were uneven.

Eric was similarly out of breath. He closed his eyes and lowered his voice. "The room at the bottom of the hole is currently being used for storage. The net isn't there."

Nina felt like her head was underwater. Eric's voice seemed distant. Her pulse drummed in her ears. She placed her trembling fingertips to the sides of her temples and closed her eyes, concentrating on taking slow, even breaths. '_I almost just died. I almost just died. I almost just died.' _Her breaths came out more ragged and her heart palpitated painfully in her chest. Her throat felt constricted and she tried desperately to take in large gulps of air.

She felt Eric's hands wrap around her wrists. "Nina, look at me." Eric's calm voice pulled Nina from her thoughts. She opened her eyes and looked into his. Eric's eyes were the color of cold steel. He set his hands face up on her knees. Nina shakily placed her open hands over his. "Deep breaths." Eric took exaggerated deep breaths which Nina copied, her eyes never leaving his. Her breathing gradually normalized and her heart rate returned to baseline.

As the shock wore off, she began to feel an intense pain in her left thumb. She withdrew her hands from Eric's and observed her thumb. She gently tried to move it and felt an acute pain. "Ah, damnit. I think I've broken my thumb."

Eric snorted. "Idiot."

Nina immediately flared up. "Hey, _you're _the reason I broke my thumb anyways!"

"_I'm _the reason you're alive, you ungrateful -"

Nina quietly cut him off. "I know. Thank you." Eric didn't respond. He stood up and brushed off his pants, then offered her a hand. Nina stood up with his help and followed him to the doorway that led down into Dauntless.

Eric sat down against the wall in the shade. Nina remained standing and cocked her eyebrow. "Um, aren't we gonna go inside?" Eric gave her a look that told her to shut up. '_Wonderful,' _shethought. '_My knight in shining armor doesn't even have the key.'_

Nina slid down the wall beside Eric and looked out to the forlorn city. "So, I guess Maddie told you why I was up here."

Eric nodded and looked down at her cut-up bare feet. "I suppose you didn't find your shoes?" She nodded her head no. Eric pulled Nina's feet into his lap. "Why did you lie to me earlier, when I asked you where you were going?" He began wiping some blood off using the hem of his shirt.

Nina appraised Eric, wondering if he was being sincere. They argued so often, and it was rare to hear Eric say something that wasn't sarcastic or rude. Watching as he gingerly tended to her feet, she decided he was being genuine. "It made me feel weak, to admit that someone doesn't want me here, that someone doesn't think I belong in Dauntless."

"You're not weak," responded Eric. Nina's heart swelled with emotion and she mouthed a thank-you. He didn't say anything after that. The sunlight on her legs felt so nice, and the breeze was lovely. She couldn't see Amity from here, but with her eyes closed, she could almost imagine she was there. Nostalgia welled up in her chest. She began to lightly hum the tune to her favorite song as she dozed off.

Eric's husky voice pulled her away from her memories. "What's that song?"

Nina kept her eyes closed, enjoying the warmth on her face. "Mmm. It's a traditional song in Amity, about a phoenix. My mother used to sing it to me every night when I was a child." She smiled sweetly at the memory. "Maybe one day I'll sing you the words." She blushed and opened her eyes. She hadn't meant to say that. She looked at Eric. He had a soft expression on his face and an indecipherable gleam in his eyes. He began to trace his fingers lightly up her calf, sending shivers down her back.

Just then, the door burst open. Nina immediately withdrew her feet from Eric's lap, a flush darkening her cheeks. Four raised his eyebrows at them, and held the door open to let Nina pass by. Four walked behind her, letting the door swing nearly shut behind him and forcing Eric to shoot out his arm and catch the frame before it closed.

She had missed an entire morning of training. When she went back to the dormitory after getting her broken thumb wrapped up at the clinic, her shoes had reappeared in the spot under her bed where she always left them. She still wasn't sure who exactly had done it, but frankly, she didn't care to find out.

* * *

"Our first week of training, over!" exclaimed Amir happily as he threw his arms around Maddie and Nina after dinner.

Maddie smiled sweetly, looking quite content under Amir's arm. "I think a celebration is in order."

The three friends walked to the tattoo parlour, discussing what tattoos they would like and what they wanted to do with their day off. Sonya greeted the trio at the entrance; Amir and Nina introduced her to Maddie.

Maddie already knew what she wanted. She asked Sonya to tattoo a dragon on her back. Sonya had Maddie remove her top, unclasp her bra, and lay stomach-down on her padded table. Nina sat in a nearby stool and watched as Sonya prepared the needles and ink. Sonya delicately washed Maddie's back. Then she began the tattoo.

The tattoo was rather large, and the process took about an hour. Nina watched, enthralled, as Sonya drew elegant curves and lines, a beautiful dragon blossoming under the needle. The dragon came to life on Maddie's skin, flames scorching across her upper back.

"You've been rather quiet, kitty cat," said Sonya as she began the finishing touches on Maddie's tattoo.

Nina drummed her fingers on her leg. "I was just wondering, Sonya… can you teach me how to tattoo?"

Sonya appraised Nina. "Maybe. I have to see if you have what it takes." She paused as a thought crossed her mind, and smiled slyly. "Meet me tonight with some drawings. If you're good enough, I'll teach you all I know tomorrow." She winked.

Nina grinned and shot out of the parlour, eager to get started right away. She slowed as she jogged through the wing that led to the dormitory, realizing that she had neither a pen nor paper. Up ahead to her right, she saw Eric unlocking a door. Nervousness fluttered in the pit of her stomach and she cursed herself internally. _This is ridiculous. Just go ask him. _

"Eric?" He turned to look at Nina as she approached. "Can I borrow a pencil, and some paper?"

He rolled his eyes and opened the door. "Come in."

Nina followed Eric into his studio apartment. It was a large space, but it was cluttered. The coffee table was covered with books and papers. Piles of clothing were strewn on the floor near Eric's bed. The kitchen sink was piled high with dirty dishes. "Christ, Eric. You're a mess."

Eric smirked. "Sucks for you. This is what you get to clean today, in regards to our deal."

"What?! No way! It's my first night off! Can't I do this some other time?"

"I mean, I can just remove points from your score if you prefer…" Eric stated cooly.

Nina groaned. "Fine. Whatever. But I still want a pencil and paper when I'm done." She began to pick up clothing from the floor. "Ew. Is this even clean?" Eric shrugged. She threw the clothing into a hamper. "You're kind of nasty, Eric."

"Watch your mouth, kitty cat." Eric's voice was husky and his eyes darkened. He sprawled on the couch and kicked his shoes off.

"Excuse me! Where did you hear that nickname?" Nina felt lust warm her cheeks. The nickname sounded much, _much _dirtier coming from Eric's lips.

"Sonya."

"I didn't realize you had friends," snapped Nina. She pulled Eric's sheet up onto the bed and tucked the corners in.

Eric chuckled darkly. "You have an attitude problem. Now shut up and let me sleep."

Nina stuck her tongue out at Eric but his eyes were already closed. She finished making the bed and headed to the kitchen. She cleaned the dishes as quietly as she could, muttering angrily under her breath the whole time. '_This is bullshit! He enjoys pissing me off.' _She took her anger out on the kitchen, leaving the countertops spotless. She tried to avoid moving her injured thumb too much.

Next, she worked on returning all the books on the coffee table to the bookshelf, as Eric snored lightly. She ripped a few blank pages out of a notebook that she found on the bookshelf and stole a pencil from Eric's beside night table.

She grabbed a pillow that was near his feet, placed it on the floor, and sat down. She nibbled on the eraser as she thought about what she wanted to draw for Sonya. She began by sketching a basic tribal tattoo and a skull-and-bones, designs she knew were popular in Dauntless. Then she worked on the Dauntless symbol, which was pretty straightforward. On a whim, she also sketched the symbols for each of the other factions from memory. The word's of her favorite Amity song came to mind, and she drew a phoenix in flight, flames cascading from its feathers. Pain pulsed in her broken left thumb, and she was grateful for being right-handed.

Eric moaned deeply in his sleep, which affected Nina entirely too much, and turned over on the couch so that his face was now facing her. She impulsively sketched his figure, her pencil tracing the hard lines of his jaw and shoulders. She softly etched the curves of his lips, and wondered what it would be like to -

Eric's eyes snapped open. He looked down suspiciously at Nina. "What are you doing?"

"None of your business," she snapped, folding the paper to hide her drawings. "Can I go now?"

Eric stretched and looked around his apartment. It was significantly cleaner than it'd been in months. He snatched the papers out of Nina's hands. "Hey!" she exclaimed as she tried to grab the papers back. Eric merely stood and walked away as he flipped through the images. She crossed her arms impatiently. "What are these for?" asked Eric.

"Sonya. She's gonna teach me how to tattoo. Can I get them back now?"

"You're pretty good. For a beginner. _Maybe_ I'll let you tattoo me one day," he smirked.

Nina cocked her head. "What tattoos do you have?" She eyed the tattoos on his neck and an image of her lips on his neck flashed through her head. She blinked her eyes, forcing the image away.

Eric pulled his shirt off. His skin was covered in ink. Nina admired his tattoos and longed to tattoo the area on his chest that was still blank. On his back was a large tattoo of a chain and flames. The flames were so realistic that they seemed to sizzle and dance on his back. Without thinking, she lightly traced the edge of one of the flames. Eric shivered and pulled away. His eyes burned on her skin and he looked down at Nina's lips. He slipped his shirt back on and turned away.

Nina took her cue to leave. She quietly closed the door behind her and contemplated Eric's hot-and-cold words and actions as she headed to the tattoo parlour. '_Why am I always attracted to bad boys? Get your shit together. He is off limits.'_

Sonya was with a client when Nina arrived. She spontaneously decided to get a nose ring while she waited.

"Nice piercing," said Sonya with a warm smile when Nina approached her after her client had left. "Did you bring me some drawings?"

Nina nodded and nervously handed them over. Sonya slowly flipped through the pages and then put them away in a drawer. She scooped her dark dreads away from her face. "Not bad. Come by tomorrow, kitty cat. We'll go through the basics."

"Thanks," Nina grinned and gave Sonya a quick hug. "By the way… why did you tell Eric that you call me kitty cat?"

Sonya smirked. "Because he asked about you."

Feelings of pleasure and confusion simultaneously flooded Nina. '_That is bad, bad news. Right?'_

* * *

**Thank you all ****_so _****much for your continued support. I want you all to know that I genuinely take your reviews to heart and use your feedback to improve my writing. So if there's something you loved or hated about this chapter, please don't hesitate to let me know!**


	6. Flare

**Welcome all to my first Divergent fanfiction (original novel by Veronica Roth.) This story is rated T for ****_moderate _****violence, language, and sexual themes. Please review; I'd love to read your feedback.**

**Ciao, Gabrielle.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: Flare**

Nina sat beside the entrance to the tattoo shop, her back against the cool cavern wall. In her lap was a sketch pad, a;ready half-filled with doodles and tattoo ideas, that Sonya had given her the night before. Children in Amity had always been encouraged to pursue artistic talents, and Nina had excelled in drawing. She hadn't yet given much thought to what career she might be selected for in Dauntless, because she'd been so consumed by training, but she knew there were a limited amount of options. She briefly wondered if she might be given the role of tattoo artist, a career she'd much prefer over being a guard on the fence, which was the most common job. She jumped up to greet Sonya when she heard her familiar footsteps approaching.

"Eager, aren't you?" Sonya teased as she unlocked the shop. Nina followed her to her workbench, where Sonya cleared off junk and began to line up different tools and devices that Nina didn't recognize.

She began by going over the names for all the tools commonly used and explained how each device worked. She explained how different needle tips and inks could produce varying results, and how it was important to safely use the devices to achieve the client's desired outcome.

She patted her client chair and motioned for Nina to sit. "You're not allowed to tattoo anyone until you've been tattooed yourself. You can't dish out the pain if you can't take it," she winked. "I'm going to demonstrate a few different strategies by occasionally changing out my needle heads and inks. Try to follow along."

Nina nodded excitedly. "What are you going to tattoo?"

Sonya smirked and used a damp wipe to clean the surface of Nina's upper thigh. "You'll see, kitty cat." She showed her how to properly secure a needle inside a tattoo machine, then disassembled it so that Nina could practice. Then she dipped the end of the needle into a well of dark ink and brought the needle to Nina's leg.

Nina exhaled sharply as the needle hit her skin but found that the stinging pain was bearable. Sonya traced the needle skillfully, using a cloth to periodically wipe away blood. Nina watched carefully at the way Sonya held her hand steady and confidently drew out soft lines with the ink. The smooth curves began to shape the outline of a roaring wildcat. When the basic outline was complete, Sonya made Nina change the needle head for a fresh one and filled new wells with colored inks. Sonya expertly filled in the outline of the cat with a mild golden hue and colored its eyes using a piercing emerald color. "Just like yours," Sonya winked.

The skin on Nina's thigh was raw and tender when the tattoo was complete, but she was pleased. The wildcat was fierce and deadly. "I love it, Sonya."

"Your turn now," said Sonya. "And don't even think about practicing on me. I'll see about that when I see how well you can tattoo yourself."

Nina stuck her tongue out at Sonya and prepared the tattoo machine with a new needle. She kicked off her left shoe and disinfected the top of her foot with a cleansing wipe. Nerves fluttered in her stomach as she slowly brought the black ink to her skin. '_Be confident. You can do this.' _She bit her bottom lip and concentrated on tracing the soft, rounded lines of a fat apple.

"You're doing really well," commented Sonya as she handed Nina a small cloth. "Remember to regularly wipe away blood and runny ink."

Nina did as told and smiled when she finished the outline of the apple. She dipped a new needle into a ruby ink and began to fill in the apple with color. She used white color to add shine to the apple and the same emerald ink as before for the leaf on the stem. The device trembled slightly but she focused on keeping her hand steady. When she was finished, she wiped away excess ink and spots of blood, then admired her work.

The apple looked firm, full, and bright. She could almost taste the crispy sweetness of a freshly picked apple, and her mouth watered. "What do you think?" she asked Sonya shyly.

Sonya smiled and patted Nina's arm. "I think you're a natural talent."

* * *

Nina spent most of the day in the tattoo shop, watching Sonya tattoo her clients. In the early afternoon, Eric came in and requested a new tattoo on his wrist. He didn't speak with Nina but she often felt his gaze on her face, on her body, on her new tattoo. It made her feel warm and she tried to concentrate on watching Sonya's needle on his skin. When he left, she relaxed and let out a sigh of relief. Sonya gave her a knowing look, "You know, kitty cat, initiate-trainer relationships aren't allowed."

"There's nothing going on between me and Eric," snapped Nina, a blush coloring her cheeks.

"Meow," smirked Sonya. "You sure are getting defensive."

Nina wasn't allowed to tattoo paying clients yet but Maddie and Amir insisted on receiving tattoos from her anyways. She noticed that Maddie and Amir were gently holding hands when they entered the shop, and a mixture of happiness for her friend and jealousy washed over her.

Maddie sat down and smiled delicately. "You choose."

Nina looked thoughtfully at her best friend, trying to think of a tattoo that would suit her. It was her first tattoo, her first _real _tattoo, and she wanted it to be meaningful. She thought of their childhood days, spent scampering up tree branches and munching on tart apples until their tummies were distended with the fruit. She thought of the heart they'd carved into the tree bark together, the smell of a delicious apple, the sound of leaves being rustled by a cool breeze.

She gently pulled off Maddie's shoe and brought the needle to the top of her left foot. She used hues of green and yellow to tattoo the foliage, and deep, warm brown for the bark. She chose the same ruby red to color in plump apples and occasionally used a cloth to wipe away the bright blend of blood and ink. In the bark, she etched in a tiny heart using a fine needle and dark ink.

When she was done, Maddie shot her a warm smile. "It's beautiful, thank you." She gently ran her fingertip over the small heart on her skin. Nina squeezed her best friend's hand. "_Friends for life_, remember?"

Amir plopped down on the stool and rolled up his sleeve. "Do your worst."

Nina playfully punched his arm. "Don't you trust me?"

He winked. "Not in the slightest."

* * *

"Hold on, can you go over the last two rules again?" asked Amir.

Sonya reached out and lightly smacked his arm. "Pay attention this time!"

Nina was sitting on the floor in the pit. She was part of a circle consisting of Maddie, Amir, Q, Sonya and two of her friends: twins that were named Tommy and Timmy. Nina, in an intoxicated haze, kept confusing them, but found that they often ended each other's sentences anyways.

Sonya went over the rules to the card game for a third time as Amir attempted to listen. Nina watched as Maddie lightly ran her fingers up and down the boy's back. She chuckled, knowing the reason why the boy found it so difficult to concentrate. The skin on his right arm, where she earlier had tattooed train tracks, was covered in a light gauze.

Sonya finished repeating the rules and began to distribute cards. "Hold on," stated Nina. "I didn't catch any of that."

Sonya glared playfully. "That's because you're piss-ass drunk."

Nina winked and took a swig from her bottle. "I think I'll just watch you suckers play tonight."

"Oh, come on!" pouted Maddie. "Play with us, Nina!"

She pointed her finger accusingly at the girl. "You only want me to play because I'm terrible at games!"

Maddie laughed and nodded, clinking her bottle against Nina's. She took another sip of the rich liquid and drank in her surroundings. The chilly, damp air of the cave. The shadows that danced beneath lit torches. The sounds of laughter and banter from her friends. This was home.

Content, Nina lay down on the cool cavern floor, her head strewn in Maddie's lap. She threw her arms around her middle and hugged her tightly.

"Oh, goodness," teased Maddie. "I forgot how touchy-feely you get when you drink." She rearranged her cards in one hand and used her other to lightly play with Nina's long hair. She purred and listened as her friends taunted one another. The game involved drinking, so the group progressively became more and more intoxicated.

Someone's hand brushed the top of her new tattoo of the growling wildcat. She looked up to see that it was Tommy. '_Or Timmy? Same difference.' _His eyes were heavy with intoxicated lust. "Sweet tat. What does it mean?" He ran his finger over the sharp canines of the cat, leaving Nina's skin scalding. She shot him a weak, flirtatious smile, and wondered why she wasn't enjoying his attention as much as she normally would have. But then she thought of Eric, imagining him touching her tattoo, which made her mentally kick herself for thinking of him at all.

Sonya cut in. "It means she will rip your fucking head off, so you better leave her the fuck alone." The group roared with laughter, and Tommy/Timmy pulled his hand away, with a fake pout. He shot Nina a mischievous wink.

Q won the first round and grinned slyly. Nina sat up and high-fived him. "Nice work, Q!" He mouthed a cheeky 'thanks' at her, and she wondered if he would ever bestow her with his voice. She leaned her heavy head against his shoulder and opened a new bottle, taking a thick swig. Sonya shuffled the cards and the group started a new round. She tried to pay attention but soon gave up, her mind too clouded to understand the intricate rules and the fast pace of the game.

Her eyes skirted the pit, subconsciously looking for _him. _He was standing in a far corner with his friends, his posture more relaxed than she'd ever seen. His strong jaw was softened by the genuine smile on his face. The glow in the cavern bounced off the metallic ring on his soft lips. She admired the way his black shirt clung to tightly his skin and drank in the hard lines of his muscles.

She forced herself to look away. '_Goddamnit, I am horny,' _she thought.

Maddie clapped her hand over Nina's mouth and the group laughed. "Nina has no filter when she's drunk."

"Oops. Did I really say that out loud?" She blushed fiercely.

"Yes, unfortunately for you, though I can't deny being amused. Time to go, my dear!" grinned Maddie, pulling her up and holding her steady as she wobbled. "Say bye, Nina."

Nina grinned sheepishly and waved goodbye to her friends. They woof-whistled her and Sonya jokingly slapped her in the ass. Amir tucked his arm around her to help keep her upright.

Tommy/Timmy jumped to his feet. "Need my help?"

Nina snapped at him. "No thanks, lover boy." Her tongue felt heavy and her limbs felt like jello. Sonya laughed and punched him lightly in the arm, "I told you to leave her alone!"

Nina walked slowly across the pit with the help of her two friends. As they passed closely by Eric and his friends, she noticed that he glared at Amir, who had an arm wrapped around her for balance. Then his gaze were on her, his eyes dark and indecipherable. '_Is that passion? Indifference? Hatred?' _The possibilities made Nina's head swirl, and she grabbed tightly to Amir for stability. He and Maddie guided her to the dormitory bathroom, where she knelt beside a toilet and tried to ignore the putrid stench.

She put her head in her hands. "God, I am so embarrassed." Her words came out heavy and slurred.

"Aw, don't worry about it, Nina. We all say stupid things when we're drunk." Amir rubbed her back soothingly and Maddie handed her a bottle of water.

She pouted. "I'm never gonna drink again."

Maddie snorted. "Yea, like I haven't heard that one before." Nina shot her the finger but giggled. Suddenly, a wave of nausea hit her, and she retched into the toilet, her body forcefully expelling the toxic liquid. She moaned, leaning her cheek against the cool porcelain, and waited a few moments to see if she would be sick again. When her stomach had calmed down, she uncapped the water bottle, rinsed her mouth, and took satisfying sips of the cool liquid. '_Ah, water. Water is my friend.'_

Maddie shooed Amir away and handed Nina a towel. Nina stood under the warm water for several minutes, letting the heat relax her tense shoulders. She was starting to feel much better, though she was sure she'd have a terrible headache in the morning. "So, Maddie," she asked, peeking her head around the corner to make sure they were alone, "you and Amir?"

A genuine smile warmed her face. "Yeah, I really like him. We just click, you know what I mean?"

"Well, I don't _really _know what you mean, but it's obvious he's crazy about you." Nina hesitated. "Is it scary? You know, falling for someone?"

"Oh, Nina," sighed her friend. "I don't know how you manage to be simultaneously the bravest and silliest person I know. No, it's not scary at all. It just feels _right_. You'll see what I mean someday."

"We'll see about that. I can't allow romance or desire to cloud my judgement... I can't risk losing control of who I am."

"Wow, thanks for the confidence. I didn't realize that having a boyfriend 'clouded my judgement' or made me 'lose control.'" Maddie huffed.

Nina quickly turned the water off and wrapped herself in a towel. '_I need to learn to think before I speak,' _she cursed herself. "Maddie, I'm sorry. You know I didn't mean it that way."

Maddie rolled her eyes. "It's just really frustrating to hear you say something like that because you really _don't _know what you're talking about. You don't have any experience with-"

Nina turned red and cut her off. "I do _too _have experience-"

"I don't mean _sexual_ experience, I mean _romantic _experience. You've always been too scared to-"

"I'm not scared of anything!" she snapped.

"Stop cutting me off! You always do this, Nina. You get so defensive and you refuse to listen to what anyone has to say to you because god forbid you be _wrong _about anything."

Nina shifted uncomfortably and looked away. Maddie continued, "I'm your best friend. Stop acting like I'm attacking you. I love you, and I just want to the best for you. I'm not saying you need to throw yourself at any man that gives you his attention, I'm just saying that you shouldn't be scared of falling in love. What are you so scared of, anyways? You're in _Dauntless._"

Nina shrugged. "I don't know… I guess you're right…" Maddie glared. "Fine, I know you're right. I don't _know _why I'm scared. It just seems so, so… pointless to me."

Maddie threw her hands up, exasperated. "It's not _pointless. _It's _amazing. _To have someone who loves you and respects you and appreciates you for who you are…"

Nina smiled. "Now you're getting all mushy."

Maddie jabbed her in the side. "Anyways, just think about it sometime."

Nina laughed. "Oh, I will. In fact, I'll ask Tommy or Timmy or whoever-the-fuck on a date tomorrow, just for you." She followed her friend out of the showers into the dormitory.

Maddie lowered her voice as they walked by some of the sleeping initiates. "Ew, not him."

Nina also whispered. "What!? What's wrong with him? You _just_ told me to be more open to all this lovey-dovey crap."

"I meant with someone who likes you for your _personality_, not someone who just wants to jump in bed with you." Maddie rolled her eyes. "Anyways, I had someone else in mind," she winked. When she saw Nina's look of confusion she giggled. "Girl, you are so clueless."

When they reached their bunk, Maddie abruptly stopped, causing Nina to collide with her back. "Oh, hell."

Nina's jaw dropped when she saw what had shocked her friend. The mattress that Nina slept on nightly was missing, replaced by a single note with writing identical to the one left by the shoe-thief.

"_Your mattress is at the bottom of the chasm. Where you belong."_

* * *

**Thank you all ****_so _****much for your continued support. I want you all to know that I genuinely take your reviews to heart and use your feedback to improve my writing. So if there's something you loved or hated about this chapter, please don't hesitate to let me know!**


	7. Torch

**Welcome all to my first Divergent fanfiction (original novel by Veronica Roth.) This story is rated T for **_**moderate **_**violence, language, and sexual themes.**

**Ciao, Gabrielle.**

* * *

**Chapter 7: Torch**

Nina crumpled the white note in her palm, her other hand holding up her towel.

"_Your mattress is at the bottom of the chasm. Where you belong."_

Hot tears of anger wetted her eyes. "What the _fuck _did I do to deserve this?" Alcohol sloshed about in her stomach, and she felt nauseous once again. "Does anyone in here want to tell me what the fuck is going on?!" Some of the sleeping initiates rolled about in their beds, their rest having been disrupted by her loud voice. _'Good,' _she thought bitterly.

"I don't know, Marina," said Maddie seriously, placing her hand tenderly on her friend's arm. "But it's late, and we're drunk and tired. We have training in the morning. Let's just go to bed and deal with this in the morning."

Nina complied, too drunk to think of a better plan, and climbed to the top bunk after throwing on some clothes. She slid under the covers with Maddie, and tried to find a good sleeping position in the cramped space. Her friend's soft snores soon filled her ears, but she couldn't fall asleep. Her eyes darted around the room, taking in the sight of the sleeping initiates. _'Who could have done this?' _Her eyes landed on the Tae, the raven-haired girl who whined more than anyone she'd ever met._ 'Tae hates me, but she's far too small to carry a heavy mattress.' _

Nina tried to remember if the mattress had been in her bed when Amir and Maddie had half-carried her back into the dormitory earlier in the evening. Surely the culprit hadn't dragged the mattress to the chasm while everyone was there drinking and socializing; that would have caused quite a commotion. The thief also could have acted earlier in the evening, while everyone was at dinner, or later, when most people were in bed. _'Oh, it's no use. I don't know if the bed was there or not when we got back, and I don't remember if anyone was missing at any point tonight.' _

Maddie's body heat rolled over Nina, who broke out in a sweat. She turned over, trying to get comfortable, to no avail. The bed was too small for two. She gave up on sleep and jumped lightly to her feet. When she landed, a wave of dizziness temporarily blinded her, and she had to clutch the bunk frame to keep from falling.

As she marched angrily out of the dormitory, she paused by Clark's sleeping form. Even in his sleep, the boy's face held a hateful smirk. Nina suspected that he was responsible for stealing her shoes and mattress, and she briefly fantasized about spitting in his face. She thought of a chain then, the weapon Eric had made her promise she'd choose during weapon training, and imagined wrapping it around Clark's neck. She choked back the violent image, and instead leaned down to steal the laces from his shoes. _'Take that, asshole.'_

Nina jogged as quietly as should could through the corridors, her bare feet slapping against the cool cavern floor. Her steps felt heavy and nausea rolled in her stomach. She stopped to catch her breath, and leaned her reeling head against the wall. _'Note to future self: don't attempt physical activity when drunk.'_

She walked slowly to the Pit, focused on taking balanced steps. Just as she was about to enter, two quiet voices jarred her to a stop. Her eyes widened and she crouched down in the shadows. Her heart rate pulsed loudly in her ears, so loudly she worried it would be audible to the two men. She forced herself to take even, slow breaths in an attempt to stay silent.

"We strike in four weeks, after Initiation Day. We can't afford to wait any longer, and Jeanine's plan of action is ready." Max's voice was low and it sent a bolt of fear to the pit of Nina's stomach. Her mind instantly pulled up the memories of the conversation she'd heard a few day prior. About Jeanine, Abnegation, and an unknown terrorist group called Divergent. _'Oh my god,' _she thought. _'This is it. They must be talking about attacking Abnegation.'_

"How will we get all the Dauntless members to fight for us? And what about the Divergent?" The deep voice was unmistakable. It held undercurrents of authority, and, to Nina's surprise, confusion. She had never witnessed Eric be anything other than calm, cool, and collected.

"Don't worry about that. I have it under control. They'll fight for us. You trust me, right?" Max's voice pressed sternly.

"Of course, sir." Nina detected a hint of hesitation in Eric's voice.

"Good. That's why you're ranked as highly as you are, Eric. Just keep doing your part – I need you to uncover any Divergent members, including initiates. If you succeed, who knows, you might be up for promotion."

The men's steps crossed the Pit, away from her. She remained crouched in the darkness for a few moments longer. _'What the fuck is going on? I'm not fighting for them, and they can't make me.' _Dread sent an aching spasm in her chest. _'They can't make me, right?' _She fought off a wave of dizziness as an image of Max pressing a gun to her temple flashed in her mind. _'Four weeks. Four weeks. FUCK. Four weeks to figure this out. And if I don't play by the rules… What happens then? Will I become Factionless? Will I be thrown to the Outside? Will I be killed?' _

Fear coiled tightly in her veins, spreading a chill through her body that instantly sobered Nina. The sound of rushing water from the Chasm matched the sound of blood rushing in her ears. The noise reminded her what she'd come here to do. She peeked her head around the corner to make sure she was alone, then darted to the edge of the Chasm. She pressed her body against the rails, which were slick with spray, and looked down into the darkness.

The drop to the bottom of the Chasm was far. She could just barely see dark, jagged rocks amongst the swiftly running water. And there, around a bend, a white block stood out from the black water. Her mattress.

There was a set of narrow steps, slippery with water, that lead down to the bottom of the Chasm. But she knew there was no point in trying to retrieve her mattress. Even if she miraculously made it to the bottom in her inebriated state without losing her footing, there was no way she was strong enough to carry the mattress back up alone. And by now, her mattress was likely soaked anyways.

Nina groaned and sat, slipping her legs under the wet rails. She contemplated going back to share Maddie's bed, but knew the cramped bed, her friend's body heat and snores would keep Nina awake regardless. _'This is just fucking fantastic. I might as well sleep right here.' _She leaned her head against the cool railing and closed her eyes. The sound of the rushing waterfall soothed her agitated mind.

A cool hand pressed against her back and Nina jolted. "I could push you in right now," said a dark voice.

Nina jumped to her feet and spun around, her heart racing. Facing her was Eric, a smirk on his face. "Fuck, you almost gave me a heart attack!"

"Maybe you should learn to be more aware of your surroundings."

Nina scowled. She knew he was right – especially now that a mysterious enemy was after her.

"What are you doing here, Nina?" he continued.

Fear froze her. _'He knows what I know.'_

"I – I just…" she stammered.

A look of confusion swept across Eric's face, and she realized that he didn't know she'd overheard his conversation with Max. Relief flooded her. _'Just play along, Nina. Don't lose your cool,' _she thought. "I can't sleep."

He lifted his eyebrow. He approached her and stepped beside her at the rail, his muscular arm brushing her skin. Her arm felt hot where it was in contact with his. "Why, cause you're wasted?"

She scoffed and fidgeted with the shoelace in her hand. "I'm _not _drunk. "

He rolled his eyes. "Nina, you were all over the place tonight in the Pit. And you were loud, _very _loud," he emphasized with a cocky expression in his eyes.

A blush colored her cheeks as she realized what he was implying – that he'd heard her outburst about being horny. "Well, anyways, no, I mean that I literally _can't _sleep." She nodded to the Chasm, and Eric looked down, searching the darkness. When his eyes lit upon the mattress, he started to chuckle.

"It's not fucking funny," she snapped.

Eric only laughed more. "It's fucking hilarious."

Nina realized she had never heard him laugh, and that his laugh was a very nice one. Then she began to think about the absurdity of the fact that her mattress had been thrown into the chasm by some immature prick, and she too began to chuckle. "Fine, it's a little funny. But it still mostly sucks."

Eric nodded, the smile fading from his face. Nina instantly missed it, and cursed herself for feeling that way. Eric was dangerous, and she couldn't afford to get caught up in lust for him, or whatever it was that she felt. "Come with me," he said as he turned away.

She didn't question him as she followed him through winding corridors, heading to what she assumed was a storage room with extra mattresses. To her surprise, he stopped at the door of his apartment and unlocked it.

"Um, what are we doing here, Eric?"

He walked inside and held the door open for her. "You need a place to sleep, don't you?"

Nina felt heat in her cheeks as a naughty vision came to mind. "I am _not _sleeping with you." _'Not now anyways,' _she added in her head, before mentally correcting herself. _'Not ever, if I'm smart.'_

He raised an eyebrow and walked into his small kitchen to get a glass of water. "Yea, I'm aware. I have a couch."

She looked away, embarrassed for having assumed he wanted to share a bed, and surveyed his studio. She was pleasantly surprised to see that he'd managed to keep the place tidy since she'd cleaned it. "So, does this mean I owe you again, or something?"

"No, it means I'm doing you a favor. As a friend." Eric shot her a sly grin. "Unless you _want _to owe me. I'm sure I can come up with something."

Nina ignored his sarcastic remark, her thoughts focused on the word 'friend.' She turned her head to hide the hesitant grin that bloomed on her face. _'Does he mean that, really?' _She exhaled and focused. _'Nina, stop it. You're acting like an idiot.'_

She settled down on his couch. "Pretty comfy. Have a spare blanket?"

"No, but that doesn't matter. You're sleeping on my bed. Get up."

Nina complied, uncertainty spreading across her face. Eric instantly lay across the couch, tucking a pillow beneath his head.

"You sure? I don't want to inconvenience you."

"You're not an inconvenience," he replied, his answer muffled by the cushion under his head.

"Well, thanks, Eric." She bit her bottom lip as she looked longingly at his bed. Nina felt bad for sleeping in it, especially with her dirty bare feet, but exhaustion won over. She crawled under the covers, cursing the fact that she would have to wake up in just a few hours. Her last thought before drifting off to sleep was that Eric's pillows smelled like pine needles, and that this wasn't how she'd fantasized being in his bed.

* * *

_Icy water filled Nina's mouth and nose. She flailed her arms, searching desperately for the surface. All around her was darkness. Her muscles were in agony as she swam, desperate for oxygen._

_The sound of rushing water lured Nina in its direction. She emerged beneath a waterfall, gasping for air. The water beat down on her bare head and shoulders, and she was paralyzed under its force._

_Metal pressed to her temple and the sound of a gun being cocked struck fear in her chest. "Get up." A shadowy figure spoke harshly. _

"_No."_

"_Get up!"_

"_No!"_

_The gun fired._

Nina awoke with a jolt, gasping, sweat running down her back.

"You are fucking hard to get up. We have to go, now." Eric was standing at the foot of the bed, a familiar stern expression on his face.

She pressed her palm against her chest, trying to catch her breath. She tried not to stare at Eric's body as he pulled a fresh shirt over his head. She jumped out of the bed. "Damn, I don't have sneakers or anything." At least she was wearing clothing suitable for training.

"That's too fucking bad. We're late. Let's go."

When they sauntered into the training room, only a couple of minutes late, the entire group of initiates and Four turned to stare at them. Nina realized immediately what it looked like, coming in with Eric after not having slept in the dormitory the night before. She tried to ignore the looks as she stopped beside her friends, who had kindly brought her shoes for her. Amir smirked and cocked his eyebrow at her, and Maddie had a 'told-ya-so' grin on her face. "Guys, it's not what you think," said Nina, rolling her eyes. "I'll explain later."

Eric, calm and collected as usual, addressed the group. "This morning we'll be visiting the Fence. Those of you currently in the lowest rankings will be getting a taste today of your future as a guard." His eyes were cold steel. "If you pass initiation, that is."

Eric and Four led the way out of the compound, the transfers marching behind them. When they reached the roof, Nina stopped to take a deep breathe of air. She'd become accustomed to the cool, damp air of the cavern. Outside, the air felt hot and heavy.

"We're taking the train to the Fence, then later we're stopping at Amity to exchange packages," said Eric. The trains were approaching, and he had to raise his voice to be heard above the noise. "Those of you with family in Amity are advised not to speak with anyone. You'll get a chance for that on Visitation Day." His face turned to Nina and she read the meaning in his eyes: to be Dauntless meant to be fiercely loyal. Faction before blood. She nodded to show that she understood. Then Eric turned and pulled himself gracefully onto moving train cart.

Nina pulled herself onto a cart with her friends. She stood tensely at the open compartment door, the rushing wind whipping her hair in her face. Beside her was Q, his dark hands clasped tightly before him. As they traveled through the outer banks of the city, approaching the Fence, they passed an area filled with grey, orderly buildings. Abnegation. Her heart throbbed painfully in her chest with anxiety. She looked over at Q, who was staring longingly at the compound, an expression of nostalgia in his black eyes.

"Are you from there?" she asked him quietly.

Q looked into her eyes for a moment, studying her pensively, then nodded. He opened his mouth, and hesitated, before speaking softly. "My 11 year old sister is there. She wants to go to Amity. I think she's too shy." He shot Nina a warm, genuine smile that she gladly returned. It was the most he'd spoken in days. Nina understood that Q was not wasteful with words, and when he spoke, it was worth listening.

For the rest of the train ride, Nina thought of Q's little sister. She imagined Q with her, picking her up, playing with her, teasing her. She thought of Q's family, imagined them sitting quietly together at dinner. She thought about all the families in Abnegation, and their devotion to selflessness and humility. And then she thought of their leader, Marcus Eaton, and of the horrible things she'd heard about him. The rumors of his abuse. The rumors of his betrayals. She closed her eyes tightly, willing her tears away.

She realized then that the political system that she'd put her faith into, that everyone had trusted, was nothing more than a corrupt hive of wasps. The leaders at the top, people like Max, Jeanine, and Eaton vied for power – and they'd do whatever they had to do to get it. Be it lie to their people. Be it construct a mutiny. Be it violence. They were _monsters. _When she opened her eyes again, she'd made up her mind. She wouldn't be a pawn in their game. And she wouldn't go down without a fight.

* * *

After visiting the Fence, the transfers spent an hour at the entrance of the Amity compound, unloading packages from the train and reloading the carts with boxes. Nina did her best to keep her head down, but every few minutes she found herself subconsciously searching for her parents, for her old friends and classmates.

The noon sun was beating down on the initiates, and Nina's arms were trembling with the exertion of lifting heavy boxes repeatedly. She was envious of the male transfers, who were able to take their shirts off to beat the heat. Her tank top was sticky with sweat, and she couldn't wait to get a shower later. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Eric working shirtless, his tattooed skin glistening with sweat.

A familiar whistle caught Nina's attention, and she snapped up, looking for the source of the sound. The gate to Amity was being opened, and a pick up truck was returning to the compound, the bed loaded with crates filled with fruit. She smiled widely, recognizing the driver of the truck as her father, and the woman in the passenger seat as her mother. As they passed by the working transfers, her mother Helen whistled again, and the tune of Nina's favorite sing about a phoenix carried in the wind. Then the truck passed into the compound, and the gates were shut.

* * *

The Glock was sleek and cool in Nina's hand. She relaxed her outstretched arms, letting the weight of the gun settle. Her feet were a shoulder width apart, and her form was steady. She fired, and her bullet hit the center of the red bullseye.

"Damn, Nina, you're good at this," Amir commented with a competitive grin. "Remind me to never get in a gun fight with you."

The initiates had spent the afternoon after the trip to Amity learning about gun safety and shooting techniques. It was now the following morning, and the group was practicing shooting in the weapon training facility. Nina had been glad to find a new mattress waiting for her in the dormitory the previous evening. She assumed Eric had ordered it for her. She also was surprised and pleased to learn that she was a natural with a gun.

She winked at Amir and shot again, this time hitting the outer edge of the bullseye. Her target was marked with several bullet points, all near the bullseye. She turned to check out the weapons rack, and traded her pistol for a rifle.

She stood for a moment to watch the progress of her friends. Q, who'd shined the previous week in physical combat, was struggling now with guns training. His target had no marks in the center of the ring, but Four was working with him. Maddie and Amir were doing fairly well, though both had yet to progress to different guns. Clark had a mediocre shot, which Nina was happy to see. The cocky boy could use a few shots to his ego.

She turned to watch Tae. The pale girl struggled to hold up the shotgun in her hand. Her arms tensed as she lifted the gun up and aimed at the target. The force of the recoil caused Tae to flinch and jump away. She dropped the gun, which slid several feet away from her.

"Go get it," barked Eric.

Tae winced. She timidly stepped forward, but darted back when she realized that everybody was still shooting. The distance between each shooting initiate was several feet, but she still feared getting hit. Nina rolled her eyes._ 'This girl again. When is she gonna grow a backbone?'_

"What the fuck are you waiting for," bellowed Eric.

The girl whispered meekly and Eric yelled at her to speak louder.

"I'm scared to get hit," she repeated, her lips trembling.

Eric cracked his knuckles maliciously and a silence enveloped the room as the initiates stopped to see what would happen. "Go stand in front of your target."

Tae hesitated and an expression of pure fear hooded her eyes. A look of loathing from Eric caused the girl to scamper to the target. She stood in front of it quivering. She was short in statute, so her head was just one inch below the bullseye.

"Four, get me a BS-60 Hart," said Eric gruffly. Four complied and emerged from the locked weapon cabinet with a large, sleek gun unlike the ones the initiates had been practicing with. It looked futuristic, and absolutely terrifying. Eric motioned for Nina to approach him. She did, unsure what he wanted with her, and was surprised when he dropped the heavy metallic gun in her hand.

Eric turned to face Tae, who was cowering under the target. "You've been scared to be here since day one. Fear has no place in Dauntless. Your cowardice makes you weak and vulnerable. I'll give you a choice now. Either you let Nina shoot three bullets into the bullseye, or you're out of Dauntless."

There was an immediate uproar from the initiates. "No fucking way," shouted Nina. "This isn't a fucking game, Eric, I could kill her."

"Yes," cried Tae, "I'll do it. Fine, I'll do it!" The raven-haired girl had a weak fire in her eyes that Nina had never seen.

Eric looked coldly at Nina and she trembled. She pleaded with him. "No, Eric. I can't do it."

"You'll do it or you'll be kicked out of Dauntless," he said frigidly.

Nina contemplated shooting Eric in the foot to wipe that smug expression off his face. Instead, she turned to look at Tae. The pale girl nodded at her, urging her to do this task.

Nina's arms quivered as she lifted the weapon. The gun was thick, sturdy, and much heavier than the other guns she'd been practicing with. _'Breath easy, girl. You can do this. You've been hitting that bullseye all day.' _She tried to calm herself down, but she knew Tae's life was on the line.

Tae closed her eyes tightly and Nina fired. The bullet hit the top corner of the target. A worthless shot.

"That was bullshit, Nina. I've seen you do better," said Eric.

"You're such an asshole," she muttered under her breath. She lifted the gun again and aimed at the bullseye. _'Just pretend Tae's head isn't there. Just pretend Tae's head isn't one inch below your target…'_

Nina fired again, this time hitting the top-right corner of the bullseye. Tae whimpered but nodded at Nina to continue.

"Two more," Eric spoke gruffly.

"I fucking _know _that," she snapped. She lifted the gun and fired again. The bullet sank into the bottom of the bullseye. Tae cried out, and Nina knew she had just barely missed the girl's scalp.

Nina's arms trembled as she raised the gun, and she blinked away tears that she hadn't realized were there. She fired, but this time her bullet was way off mark. It hit the outermost ring.

"You've been hitting the damn bullseye all day," said Eric lazily.

"Seriously, shut the _fuck _up. I hate you," she retorted sharply.

Eric's eyes were steely and calm. "No, you don't. Just hit the bullseye. You know you can."

Nina blinked away more tears as she leveled the gun up. Her muscles were tense and her chest was tight with anxiety. She took a deep breath as she aimed the gun at the bullseye. She fired.

The bullet hit the center of the bullseye cleanly. It was the best shot she'd fired all day. Tae collapsed to her knees, relieved that the task was over and that she had another chance to stay in Dauntless.

"You see," Eric faced Nina with an arrogant smile, "that wasn't so bad, was it?"

Nina dropped the gun, which clashed to the floor. Then she reared her hand up, and smacked Eric with full force.

* * *

**I'm sorry I didn't update sooner! I've been quite busy. I wrote a longer-than-usual chapter to compensate :) ****I genuinely take your reviews to heart and use your feedback to improve my writing. So if there's something you loved or hated about this chapter, please don't hesitate to let me know!**


	8. Catch Fire

**Welcome all to my first Divergent fanfiction (original novel by Veronica Roth.) This story is rated T for ****_moderate _****violence, language, and sexual themes.**

**Ciao, Gabrielle.**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Catch Fire**

The sound of the smack reverberated in the room and Nina instantly regretted having dared to hit Eric, though she had no doubt that he had deserved it. The force of her slap had pushed his face to the side, and he kept it there, the muscles in his neck stiff and tense. "Everybody get out," he growled.

Four lead the initiates out of the weapons training room, and Nina backed away cautiously; the way prey tries to sneak away from a predator. Eric reached out and grabbed her wrist, keeping her anchored. "Not you," he stated frigidly. His blue eyes revealed icy anger, but she looked resolutely into them, determined not to look away.

Tae passed her, and Nina trembled as she recalled the way the sleek gun had fit in her hands. The bullets had punctured the bulls-eye just an inch above Tae's head. One bullet had grazed Tae's scalp, and she'd cried out in pain. _'I almost killed someone today.' _The metal door clanged shut with the departure of the last initiate. Eric swept down to pick up the gun that lay at Nina's feet. The gun she'd almost killed an innocent girl with. Because of him.

Eric spun the gun carelessly in his palms. "Do you want to explain why the fuck you just smacked me?"

"Cause you're an asshole," she snapped. "You are sadistic and cruel. I almost just _killed _someone because of you!"

He chuckled darkly. "I don't think so."

"Oh, so you're denying being an asshole." She stubbornly crossed her arms.

"No. I'm saying that you're lying about why you hit me."

Nina tensed and warily eyed the gun, which he was haphazardly flipping in the air. "What the fuck does that mean?"

"It means I think you have a problem with authority, Nina." Eric stepped close to her, his body heat radiating over her. He lifted the barrel of the gun and rested it against her jawline. Nina instantly stiffened. "I think you don't like being told what to do. Am I right?"

_"_What the fuck are you doing, Eric?" The barrel of the gun was cold and hard on her jaw. _'This is it. I'm done for. I should have shot him when I had the chance.'_

Eric moved the barrel of the gun across Nina's lips like it was a lover's caress. "I want to make you scream." His voice was husky. Then he stepped back, aimed the gun at Nina's foot, and fired.

She instantly dropped to the floor, the pain tearing through her flesh like wildfire. She bit back a scream, refusing to give Eric the pleasure of accomplishing what he'd set out to do. "Oh my fucking god, you fucking_ maniac_. What the _fuck _is wrong with you?!" She tenderly cradled her foot and stared up at Eric incredulously.

"You have a dirty mouth, Nina. I like that about you. What I don't like about you is that you think you know fucking everything. You're constantly questioning everything I say, and it's about time you learned your lesson."

She pressed her eyes shut and tried to calm down by taking deep, even breaths. Her foot was throbbing with agonizing pain.

"Why don't you tell me what you know about this gun, little miss know-it-all?"

Her eyes snapped open. "I don't know Eric, what the hell?! You just shot me!"

He paced in front of her calmly, undeterred by her shouts. "It's a BS-60 Hart. It weighs in heavily for a gun of its size and it's constructed primarily of stainless steel. It has a relatively low rate of fire, for obvious reasons - well, obvious to anyone who knows anything about guns, which you clearly do not."

"I don't give a fuck! You're trying to kill me, you fucking psycho!" She glanced around in panic, searching for potential exit paths, and began to breath erratically.

"Nina, calm the fuck down." He raised the gun and fired at Nina's shoulder. She clamped her hand over her mouth to muffle her scream. An image of a cat playing with a mouse before killing it suddenly came to her mind. The pain from her shoulder overrode the pain in her foot, which was beginning to feel numb.

Eric didn't spare Nina a glance as he continued to talk. "The BS-60 Hart is often used in initiate training, combat simulation, and exercises like today's - with that miserable, whiny cunt Tae. Can you guess what sets this particular gun apart from others?"

"What the fuck do you want, Eric?!" Nina begged him. He replied by shooting her again, in the leg. This time she could not contain her cry of pain, and she was fuming for having screamed like he'd wanted her to. She whimpered and clutched at her leg, but was surprised to see no sign of bleeding.

"'BS' stands for bullet simulator. '60' indicates how many seconds the pain lasts. In another minute you won't be feeling anything." Then he dropped the weapon to the floor and walked away, leaving Nina angry and humiliated.

* * *

In the late afternoon, Nina stopped by the tattoo parlour in search of Sonya. It was dinnertime, so the parlour was empty expect for the dark, dread-locked woman, who was diligently cleaning up and organizing. An empty plate littered with crumbs rested on her workbench.

"Hey, kitty cat. How come you're skipping dinner?"

"I'm not particularly hungry…" Nina stated irritably. She hopped onto Sonya's workbench and flipped through a sketchbook.

Sonya placed her fist on her hip. "Could that have anything to do with you slapping Eric this morning?"

Nina shrugged and sighed. "How did you hear about that?"

"Let's just say word spreads fast around here." Sonya began to run her fingers through the tangles in Nina's hair. She'd been pulling at her locks all day as she mulled over what had happened with Eric. She was pissed. She was _really _fucking pissed. And she was especially pissed because deep down, she understood the reason why he'd done it. He'd taught Tae a valuable lesson in facing her fears. And when Nina had retaliated, he'd had to put her in her place. Remind her that she didn't know everything. Remind her who was the boss. "Well you're _not _the boss of me," she muttered under her breath. "No one's the boss of me."

Sonya cocked her eyebrow. "Mhmm, girl, I know you have a story for me. Tell me what happened. Eric's been in a foul-ass mood all day and he won't tell me anything…"

"Ouch, bitch," joked Nina as Sonya worked through a particularly tangled lock of her hair. Then she began to narrate what had happened to her that day, the lesson that Eric had taught her… or, had attempted to teach her anyways. She shuddered as she recounted Eric's caustic words and the biting pain of the BS-60 Hart. The fake bullets had detached themselves from her skin after 60 seconds, as Eric had promised, but they left small, circular marks that were sore.

By the time Nina finished telling Sonya everything that had happened, her hair was tangle-free. Yet Sonya continued to gently run her fingers through Nina's hair, in a way that she found comforting. After a few moments of peace, Sonya broke the silence. "He wasn't always like that, you know. He hasn't always been so… obsessed with power."

Nina spun to look at Sonya. "What do you mean?"

"Did you know I was a transfer from Erudite?"

Nina's eyes widened with shock, and she nodded her head 'no.'

"Yup. I was a good ol' bookworm from Erudite. Just like Eric."

Nina's jaw dropped. Eric was so arrogant, so confident, so cocky… she'd just assumed he was a Dauntless-born.

"Want a tat, kitty cat?" Sonya asked, grinning at her clever little rhyme. Nina shrugged and nodded, so Sonya inserted a clean needle into her tattoo gun. "Eric and I have always been tight, even before we went through initiation together. I guess it was just natural for us to be close. Who else in Erudite understood the desire for recklessness? Who else in Erudite understood the desire to want to be –"

"- a total bad ass?" Nina cut her off with a smile, and Sonya nodded. "So, you and Eric…?" She let the unspoken question hang in the air, and her chest suddenly felt tense as she waited for the answer.

"Um, ew, no," laughed Sonya. "I _don't _roll that way, if you know what I mean."

The coil in Nina's chest immediately relaxed. "It was like that for me and Maddie too. We've been best friends forever. We just _get _each other, the way no one else in Amity ever did." She pursed her lips as she anxiously added in her head '_not that it seems that way anymore sometimes, now that Amir is in the way…' _She forced herself to banish that thought from her head.

"Eric was always rebellious and brash," Sonya continued as she began to clean the skin on Nina's collarbone with a wipe. "Always competitive, as you might imagine. But when he transferred to Dauntless, it just got worse. He's _so_ competitive with Four. They're constantly competing for authority. Eric is so power-hungry these days. It's so unlike him. Back in the day, he was all 'Fuck Authority,' you know what I mean? He used to question everything, he never let himself be swayed by what the leaders said." Sonya shook her head side-to-side, disappointment clear in her expression.

Nina mulled this over as Sonya began to fill the tattoo well with dark ink. She recalled the tantalizing offer she'd overheard Max make Eric: "_Just keep doing your part – I need you to uncover any Divergent members, including initiates. If you succeed, who knows, you might be up for promotion._"

"I'm not saying that what Eric did today was good or bad. He had his reasons. Of course it's always good to be able to admit that you don't know everything. But that doesn't mean you should ever just blindly do what you're told. It takes courage to stand up for what you believe in. And if today you believed that Eric deserved a slap, well then..." Sonya chuckled, lightening the mood. "Anyways, I'm just telling you this so that you understand that Eric isn't a bad guy. He's fiercely loyal to his friends and he's smart as a whip. He's still got some of that 'Fuck Authority' attitude in him, somewhere deep down. Don't give up on him yet."

Nina nodded to indicate that she understood. "Thanks, Sonya. I appreciate your advice."

"No problem. So, kitty cat," Sonya lifted the tattoo gun to Nina's collarbone. "Have you decided what you want?"

* * *

"Saved you a burger from dinner." Amir tossed Nina a napkin-wrapped sandwich, and she instantly felt guilty for having thought poorly of him earlier.

"Thanks," she said with a genuine smile. She sat on the bottom bunk and devoured the burger.

"Feeling better?" asked Maddie from the top bunk, where she lay outstretched.

"Urhm-hrm," Nina answered through a thick mouthful of burger. Amir made a grossed-out face. Nina swallowed the last of her food and stuck her tongue out at him. "Sonya gave me a pep-talk, of sorts. What about you, Mads? You look kinda pale."

Maddie shifted on the top bunk and sat up. "Ugh, yea. Me and Amir went for a jog after dinner, and I got a weird cramp in my chest. It's gone away now though."

"It was a bad idea to exercise after dinner," added Amir.

"Well, anyways, I'm glad you're feeling better cause we have plans tonight." Nina wigged her eyebrows suggestively.

"Oh, really. And what plans are these?" asked Amir.

Nina winked and flashed a mysterious grin. "Dress warmly."

* * *

The wind blowing at the top of the building bit ferociously through Nina's clothing, despite the layers. Her hair whipped in the air, and Maddie offered her a hair tie that she gladly accepted.

"Glad you could make it," said Sonya as she approached them. "This is basically a sacred Dauntless tradition. You're not really Dauntless if you haven't zip-lined off the top of the John Hancock building."

"How high did you say we were?" asked Amir, his eyes flashing about alertly.

"Heights aren't really his thing," explained Maddie.

"Clearly," laughed Nina. "Better suck it up, big boy."

Amir lightly punched Nina. "I will." He wrapped his arms around Maddie.

They approached the edge of the building and watched members of Dauntless being strapped into the security harnesses attached to the zip-line. Some members flew solo, while others were strapped in with a friend or lover.

"You have to release yourself at the end of the zip-line," explained Sonya. "There'll be a group at the bottom to catch you."

"And if you don't detach in time?" asked Maddie.

"Splat," answered Sonya grimly.

Nina watched as a girl jumped from the platform edge and flew gracefully in the air like a bullet. She grew smaller and smaller until she disappeared between two distant buildings, following the convoluted path of the zip-line.

"Wow," she whispered in awe.

"It's awesome, isn't it?" One of the twins, Tommy/Timmy, appeared beside Nina. She resigned herself to the fact that she couldn't remember which twin was which.

"Yes, definitely," she smiled up at him.

Maddie and Amir were strapped in next. The harnesses linked them together, and Maddie looped her arms around Amir's neck. She leaned in and lightly kissed him on the mouth. He whispered something into her ear, and then they leapt off the platform together. They whisked into the cool night air, flying rapidly down the zip-line.

"Zip-lining is the best. And there's nothing like your first time," Tommy/Timmy winked. "Are you gonna fly tandem?"

"I don't know about that. I'm thinking of flying solo for my first experience." Nina looked at him in the moonlight, studying his handsome face. Her memory of his appearance had been blurred by alcohol the first time she met him, but now she saw that he had sharp features, bright green eyes, and messy red hair. "Maybe another time, it could be fun," she added flirtatiously.

Someone pulled on her ponytail lightly from behind. "Your hair is tangled again! After all the work I did today," laughed Sonya.

"I know, it's the wind's fault!"

"A likely story," Sonya stuck her tongue out. She stepped up to the platform to be strapped in. "Catch you on the flip side, kitty cat." Then she stepped off the building and whizzed down the zip-line.

"Next," called the purple-haired chick that was in charge of harnessing all the zip-liners.

Nina felt nerves dancing in her stomach as she stepped onto the platform. She looked down at the ground and her heart flipped. _'I'm so high up.' _She breathed deeply and forced herself to look away.

"You flying tandem?" asked the girl with the vibrant hair. Her face was mottled with piercing and tattoos.

"Nah," answered Nina.

"Yes." Eric stepped onto the platform.

"Fuck off, Eric," snapped Nina. The purple-haired girl began to harness in Eric, linking his straps to Nina's.

"No, I don't think I will."

"Seriously Eric, go away."

The purple-haired girl smacked her bubble-gum loudly as she finished adjusting the harness. "Are y'all gonna go, or what?"

"No!" Nina lightly pushed on Eric's chest, momentarily forgetting that he was now physically attached to her.

He smirked, placing his hands on Nina's waist, and stepped off the platform. Then, suddenly, they were soaring through the air, the frigid air cutting through Nina's clothing. The swell of the wind lifted her up and she felt like a hawk in flight; for a moment she really thought that she was in free-fall. Terror and excitement and pure adrenaline ripped through her chest and she screamed out in delight.

As they whipped through the frosty air, she was thankful for the heat of Eric's body pressed against hers. She forgot every bit of anger she felt towards him as they zoomed between buildings, flying so rapidly that it made her lightheaded. She looked down at the city in wonder, amazed at how small it all looked from this height. She let go of Eric and leaned back, her arms outstretched so that the only thing holding her to him was the harness. She closed her eyes, and as the wind whipped through her hair, she imagined she was a phoenix in flight, catching fire. She cried out in pleasure. She never felt so alive.

Eric wrapped his strong arms around her waist, pulling her close to him, and she leaned in, placing her head in the crook of his neck. Over his shoulder, she saw their reflection briefly as they zoomed past the large windows of an abandoned skyscraper. The stars twinkled above, and she felt like she could almost reach out to touch one. In the giddiness she felt at the moment, she planted a tender kiss on Eric's neck. She worried briefly that it would upset him, and she hoped he hadn't noticed, but then she decided to relax and just live in the moment. Eric tightened his hold on Nina, pulling her closer to his broad chest.

The buildings grew in size as they approached the end of the zip-line. Eric's voice was husky as he whispered, the heat of his breath tickling her ear. "You need to unclip the harness on the count of three."

She nodded and reached up, feeling for the clip.

"One – two – three!"

Nina unclipped the harness from the zip-line and they were momentarily in free-fall, then they landed with a light bounce into the outstretched arms of Dauntless members. The Dauntless all cheered and hooted as they placed Eric and Nina onto their feet on the pavement.

"That was amazing! I wanna do it again, and again, and again!" exclaimed Nina, throwing her hands up and twirling. She had a smile on her face so big that she felt it would never go away. Never had she felt more fierce. Never had she felt more Dauntless.

Eric had only a small, conservative smile on his face, but it was more smile than Nina was used to seeing. He turned to walk away, and began to disappear into the crowd.

"Wait, Eric." Nina reached out and grabbed his wrist, pulling him gently back to her.

"What is it?" In his steely eyes was a lightness Nina hadn't seen before, and she realized she understood both so much and so little about him.

"I have an answer for you," she replied cryptically.

He cocked his eyebrow in confusion.

"Earlier, you asked me a question. You asked me if I have a problem with authority. You asked me if I have a problem doing what I'm told."

He nodded and crossed his arms. "That I did."

"Well, I have your answer." Nina pulled off her sweater, revealing a tight dark tank top underneath. She ripped off the white bandage that covered her new tattoo: in large, black, block letters over her left collarbone were the words 'FUCK AUTHORITY.'

* * *

**What did you think of this chapter? Did you love it? Did you hate it? I definitely want to know what you think! And, as always, I appreciate _constructive _criticism. **

**Also, I want to apologize for updating later than usual! I aim to update biweekly: every other weekend. This past week has been hectic. Last week I had 3 exams and I also moved to a new house! I owe you all cookies.**


	9. Heat Wave

**Welcome all to my first Divergent fanfiction (original novel by Veronica Roth.) This story is rated T for ****_moderate _****violence, language, and sexual themes. Please review; I'd love to read your feedback.**

**Ciao, Gabrielle.**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Heat Wave**

Nina hummed her favorite song as she twisted Maddie's long, wet hair into a French braid. The girls were relaxing before dinner, wiped out after a day of shooting exercises. The week of gun training was coming to a close, with only one day left. The initiates had progressed from shooting stationary targets to shooting moving targets while running. Next week they would be selecting and training with a secondary weapon of choice. Well, the other transfers would be choosing anyways; Nina had promised Eric she would select the chain as her weapon. The idea of the impending one-on-one training with him made her stomach flutter with nerves.

Maddie began to softly sing the lyrics to the Phoenix song as Nina tied off the end of the plait with a band. Nina placed her head on her friend's shoulder and smiled; Maddie's serene voice and the enchanting lyrics never failed to fill her with nostalgia and joy.

"Hey, let's have a girl night tonight. It's been too long since we hung out, just the two of us," suggested Nina. "We can raid a bottle of wine from the storage unit and get delightfully smashed."

"Mhmm, that sounds wonderful," Maddie grinned. "Red or white?"

"Red, pretty please."

"You know I prefer white. Oh well, I _guess_ we'll just have to raid two bottles," she feigned disappointment. The girls giggled but after a moment Maddie frowned. "Oh shoot. Can we do this another night? I've just remembered I already have plans with Amir."

"I see... Plans that don't include me, clearly." Nina cast her eyes downward, disappointed.

"Don't be mad, Marina. We're celebrating our 10 day anniversary tonight!"

"10 days? 10 _days_?! Get a grip, Mads. You barely know him," she scoffed.

"Oh, here we go again, with the relationship advice from the love guru. What is your fucking problem with Amir? And by the way, you're being pretty hypocritical. I know there's something going on between you and Eric."

'_What's my problem?_' Nina thought. '_My problem is that today is my 17th birthday and you have totally forgotten. My problem is that I feel like I'm losing my best friend._' Instead she stood up and stated coldly: "I hope you enjoy your date." Then she marched out of the dormitory, not even stopping to slip on shoes.

* * *

Nina refused to go to dinner and face Maddie and Amir. She swung by the tattoo parlour and let herself in with the key Sonya gave her, so that she would be able to sketch or practice tattooing anytime. So far, Nina had a hard time finding anyone willing to be tattooed by an amateur, so she mostly just used her own skin to practice. She had begun to tattoo the lyrics to the Phoenix song on her arm, starting at the top. It was slow going, because she was using only one hand on herself and because she was still learning the techniques for tattooing letters. She'd designed the lyrics to encircle her arm in a spiral from her shoulder to her wrist.

Sonya usually ate dinner in the parlour instead of at the dining hall but today she was gone. Nina opened the mini-fridge and realized why: the fridge was bare except for a pack of beers. She treated herself to a bottle as she sketched. She'd completed her original drawing of a phoenix days earlier, but she was now attempting a more masculine, less flowery version. Soon the ache in her stomach could not be ignored, so she finished the last of the beer and closed her sketch pad. She grabbed another bottle, jotted a quick note for Sonya, and locked the parlour door behind her.

She finished up the beer as she rapped on Eric's door. He opened up and leaned against the frame, blocking her entrance. "What are you doing here?"

"I came for a visit. Aren't you going to let me in?"

He sighed but opened the door. "Why aren't you at dinner? And why are you barefoot?"

She looked down at her bare feet with surprise. "I guess it's an Amity thing. What is this, twenty questions?"

"Faction before blood," he reminded her sternly.

"Yea, yea," she said rolling her eyes. "Aren't you a real piece of work?" She tossed her empty bottle into the bin and sauntered over to his fridge. She opened it and appraised her options. Food, food, alcohol, food, alcohol. She decided to continue with her drink of choice of the night by selecting a bottle of beer. She perched herself on one of Eric's barstools, ignoring the wave of lightheadedness that suddenly washed over her, and began to rummage through a drawer in search of a bottle opener.

Eric snatched the bottle from her hands. "Does this look like the liqueur store to you?"

"Oh, come on Eric," Nina pouted her lips. "It's my birthday."

Eric contemplated, his muscular arms crossed sternly. Then he turned away, grabbed another bottle from the fridge, and opened both with a magnetic bottle opener. He handed one to Nina and began to sip on the other. "Have you eaten?"

"Beer has calories, right?" She answered playfully.

Eric scoffed, opened his pantry and took out bread, peanut butter and jam. Nina studied him quietly, the alcohol removing any inhibitions she might have had about checking him out so obviously. If his tongue was sharp, his muscles were sharper. He held the butter knife in his hand as comfortably as he would hold a sharp one, with intent to harm. He was deadly; a killing machine from head to toe. And she liked every inch of him. His tight black clothing accentuated his hard muscles. His face was decorated with rings and his skin was inked everywhere visible to the eye. Nina had a sudden desire to rip off his shirt and study the tattoos she knew he had underneath. She had seen him shirtless, touched him once, but always briefly. She closed her eyes and chugged the remainder of her beer. '_You're as bad as Maddie. Get your fucking shit together.'_

Eric set down a plate with a sandwich. "Eat," he demanded.

She complied gratefully, her body eager for food to fill her empty stomach. The kitchenette was filled only by the sounds of Nina chewing. She finally decided to break the silence. "So, Eric, how is life treating you?"

He stared at her incredulously and didn't answer.

"Well my life's pretty great, thanks for asking. I mean I'm sitting in silence eating a sandwich on my birthday. Life can't get any better than this."

Eric stole the sandwich from her and took a bite. "Birthdays are pointless. They just serve to mark the passage of 365 days of nonsense and mediocracy."

"Well, in Amity birthdays are a big deal. Actually, Amity just loves any excuse for a party."

"Faction before blood. How hard is that for you to understand?"

"Oh, you're on about this again. Yea, Eric, I get it. There's a reason I chose Dauntless and not Amity. But it's not like I can just erase years of my life. You're from Erudite. Don't you still have some of their traits?"

"Remind me to tell Sonya to stop spilling my secrets to you." Eric ate the last of the sandwich. "Want another?"

Nina shrugged in reply. "Why are you always so secretive? Being a transfer doesn't make you any less Dauntless."

He got up and started making a second sandwich but didn't answer her question. Nina had come to learn that Eric was generally a quiet person and he only spoke when he felt that he had something to say. He was not generous with his words. He chewed slowly and then offered the remaining half of the sandwich to her. Finally, he spoke. "Yes, I suppose."

"You suppose what?"

"I suppose I do still have some traits from Erudite. But I chose Dauntless. This is where I belong. That's the way the system works."

"But what if the system doesn't work?" she pressed on. "What if it's flawed?"

"It's not flawed. It's perfect. You either choose a Faction or you're Factionless. There's no in between," he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Got that?"

"Yea, geez," she laughed nervously. "Don't get so weird." The silence stretched on awkwardly and Nina wondered what she had said that had upset him. "Anyways, I never wanted a big party. This is nice, just hanging out with you," she blushed. She hadn't meant to say that outloud, but it was the truth. Eric was harsh, but he was genuine. Nina appreciated that. "I'm mainly just upset cause I wanted to spend time with Maddie but she's too busy being a girlfriend."

"You say that like it's a bad thing."

"What, _girlfriend_?" She felt nervous just saying the word, especially in front of _him_.

He nodded and she chose to ignore him, feigning interest in the meager decor of his kitchen. She pulled herself up onto the metallic counter, and kicked her feet out anxiously. She could feel his intense eyes studying her, the way she had just studied him. It made her feel naked and vulnerable. Like she was burning in ice, or freezing in fire.

"What's the reason?" he asked.

"What's the reason for what?" She stopped kicking her feet and looked at him, confused.

"You said there's a reason why you chose Dauntless and not Amity."

"Oh. That's easy. I chose Dauntless because I value courage above all else."

He stood up and placed his fists on the counter on either side of her legs. His scent overpowered her; pine needle and mint. She remembered it well from his pillowcase. She could feel the presence of his arms on either side of her. His hands were so close to her thighs yet not close enough. He drove her crazy without even touching her.

"What about you, Eric? Why did you choose Dauntless over Erudite?"

His icy, grey eyes captured hers. "Because I value courage above all else." His gaze was so intense that she almost had to look away.

He glanced down at her lips and she at his. And for one moment, for one, crazy moment, Nina thought that he was going to kiss her. She wondered what his lips would feel like against hers. Would his lips burn or freeze her skin? She felt heat rise to her cheeks. Did he know what she was thinking? Did he want this too?

And then the moment was gone. He turned away and started to brew coffee. "You need to go. I'm expecting company." His voice was frigid and hard.

Nina slipped out of his room quietly, seething. '_Fucking dammit. I hate the way he makes me feel. I hate myself for feeling this way_.' She thought of his parting words: "_I'm expecting company_." A date, obviously. He was expecting a fucking date. The thought of him with another woman made her blood freeze. '_Why?! He is nothing to me and I am nothing to him and it will always be that way._' She wouldn't have it any other way. She didn't need him as a distraction.

"Nina, hold up!"

She turned around to see who was calling her. It was the last person she would have expected: Tae. She had a determined expression on her face. "I want to ask you something."

"Um, ok..." Nina answered hesitantly.

Tae sighed deeply. "I'm ranked last. You're ranked fifth. I'm terrible at shooting. You're arguably the best shooter amongst the initiates. Tomorrow is our last day of gun training, and we start secondary weapon training next week. Then comes primary eliminations." She closed her eyes and breathed nervously. "I need your help. I need your help or else I'll be kicked out."

Nina crossed her arms and contemplated. The Amity voice in her screamed '_yes, I should help her!_' But the Dauntless in her was jaded. And a small, cruel voice in her head reminded her that Tae was competition that needed to be eliminated. "Why are you coming to me for help? I've been a bitch to you from the start. That's not an apology by the way."

"I know. I deserved it. I was whiny... I'm different now. I'm ready to work hard. It's just for tonight. One night to improve my shooting score," Tae begged.

"Right," Nina said indecisively, not quite believing that Tae was truly willing to work hard. She had to see it to believe it.

"And the reason I'm coming for you is... well, you're tough. You're a hard worker. I know that last week you stayed up late at night training. And it paid off."

Nina started pacing as she thought. "Say I help you. What do I get out of this?"

Tae smiled grimly. "I'll tell you who's been fucking with you."

Nina felt her blood boil as she thought about her stolen shoes and mattress. Someone dead set on fucking her over. "Clark."

"Is that what you think?" Tae answered mysteriously.

Nina eyed Tae in a new light. She was smarter than she'd expected. Nina extended her hand. "It's a deal."

* * *

After three hours of training, Nina had to admit that Tae had improved. A lot. Whatever change the raven-haired girl had experienced upon facing her supposed death, it had been for the better. Tae seemed to have a new outlook on life. She wasn't as weak and timid. Nina was even starting to like her.

The girls walked quietly back to their rooms, exhausted. They were slick with sweat, and they knew they would have only a few hours to sleep. But it had been worth it, atleast for Tae. Nina had no doubt in her mind that her new shooting talent would bump her from last place to 10th. From there on out, she had a week of secondary weapon training to stay in the safe zone before the first round of eliminations were announced.

"Alright," said Nina softly, aware that most of the cavern's inhabitants were asleep. "I held up my side of the bargain. Your turn."

Tae hesitated for a moment in anticipation of Nina's reaction. "It was Clark."

"What the fuck?! I guessed that earlier and you said it wasn't him!"

"I neither confirmed nor denied it. Would you have agreed to help me if I had told you then?"

Nina narrowed her eyes at Tae. "No. Fine. You're right."

Tae lowered her voice. "It wasn't just the shoes and mattress, you know. He's done other things too."

"Like what?" Nina nibbled on her bottom lip; a nervous habit.

"Small things. Like pouring water out of your bottle when you're not looking, so that you'd get dehydrated. And last week, during combat training, he put oil on his body before fighting you to make it harder for you. You kicked his ass anyways, but you know that's not fair fighting."

Nina's fists clenched in anger. She had indeed noticed her water bottle always seemed to be empty even when she hadn't been drinking much. And using oil to make it more difficult for her to punch him? That was just low.

"Nina, you need to be careful. Clark is obsessive. Things will escalate."

"How do you know these things?"

"I've known Clark forever. We're both from Erudite. To be honest, he's always terrified me. I think he's a total psycho."

"Fuck. Why me?"

"I honestly don't know. Like I said, he's obsessive. He was the same way with a girl in Erudite... She ended up in the clinic with a broken arm. And that was when we were 11 years old."

Nina shook her head. She couldn't believe it. She hadn't done anything to Clark to make him hate her. How far was he willing to go to eliminate her? She needed to watch her back.

As they rounded the corner that passed by Eric's apartment, Nina saw his door open. She twisted back around the wall and clamped her hand over Tae's mouth. She peeked her head around and saw Max step out into the darkness. Nina felt first an indescribable relief to know that Max was the company that Eric had been expecting; followed by terror when she imagined what they must have been discussing: Abnegation. War. Divergent. She still didn't know what that term meant but she had to find out. When the coast was clear, the two girls rushed quietly to the dormitory.

Nina fell asleep almost as soon as she got into bed, eager to forget the worst birthday she'd ever had. Her dreams were filled with dark visions of a looming man. Whether it was Clark or Eric she did not know.

But when she awoke she was drenched in sweat. And beneath her pillow was a solitary, red apple.

* * *

**Please let me know what you think of this chapter! Did you love it? Did you hate it? I always appreciate constructive criticism.**

**Also, I wrote this all from my phone, can you believe it? This is what happens when I'm on vacation in another country without my laptop. And I've already started the next chapter which will be very exciting, I promise! Should be out sometime in the next week.**


	10. Fumes

**Welcome all to my first Divergent fanfiction (original novel by Veronica Roth.) This story is rated T for _moderate _violence, language, and sexual themes. Please review; I'd love to read your feedback.**

**Ciao, Gabrielle.**

* * *

**Chapter 10: Fumes**

_"A ring of wildflowers for your crown_  
_A sweet apple to lift your frown_  
_The sunshine of a summer's day_  
_For you my love on your birthday"_

Nina's eyes fluttered open. Seated on her bed was Maddie singing the traditional Amity birthday song. She leaned down when she was done and kissed Nina on the forehead. "I'm so sorry that I forgot about your birthday. I'm a terrible friend."

Nina laughed. "Don't be silly. You're a great friend."

"Well, I definitely owe you a girl's night."

"And a bottle of red wine," Nina winked.

"Yes, that too. Well, the best I could do for now is bring you breakfast in bed," Maddie handed over a breakfast sandwich and a glass of juice from the dining hall. "It's hardly a meal fit for a queen such as yourself, but it'll have to do."

"Thanks, Mads. You're the best." As Nina sat up in bed, an apple rolled out onto the floor from beneath her pillow. She gasped, "Oh my gosh, I haven't had a fresh apple since we left Amity. How did you manage to get one?"

"I didn't," stated Maddie as she picked up the apple and turned it in her hand. "Someone else must have left this for you."

Nina contemplated the mysterious apple as she ate breakfast and got ready for training. Perhaps it had been a treat from Tae, a gift to express her gratitude for helping her improve her shooting skills last night. Although where Tae could have gotten hold of a fresh apple, Nina didn't know. Amity alone had the luxury of fresh fruit; other factions could only expect to receive fruit juices, canned fruits, and apple sauces. The only other possibility was that the apple was a birthday gift from... _him_. People in positions of power could more easily obtain luxury goods from other factions.

She refused to think about it, and what that would mean. Eric was adamant about transfers severing all ties with their past factions. A gift directly from an Amity orchard would go against everything he believed in. Nina brought the apple up to her nose and inhaled. The sweet, tart smell made her nostalgic for the home she'd once had. She stroked the small scar on her neck and remembered the day she'd gotten it, after falling from an apple tree. She decided to save the apple for another day.

* * *

"6 minutes 21 seconds," called Four as Nina sprinted past him. Her time to run a mile had improved greatly since coming to Dauntless. She'd always been fast but she'd never beat Maddie, who always finished first. "How'd you do," she called out breathlessly as she caught up with her friend and few of the other initiates.

Maddie was rubbing her chest. "Good. 5 minutes 56 seconds."

Nina whistled. "Damn, that's really good. Hey, you ok?"

Maddie gave her a small smile. "Yeah. Just catching my breath."

Nina nodded and did the same as she stretched.

"You beat me again, babe!" Amir threw his arms around Maddie in a bear hug.

"Ew, get your sweaty arms off me," Maddie laughed as she shrugged away from Amir's embrace. "I'm so glad we're done with gun training week."

"Agreed," stated Nina. "I'm definitely ready for a day off." Today had been the initiates' last day of shooting. They had a one day break before resuming training and selecting a secondary weapon to specialize in. Q tugged lightly on her arm and pointed his head towards the bulletin board in the middle of the training room. Four was finishing writing the final rankings of the week. She jogged excitedly over to the board and tripped over something in her path. She stumbled and felt her ankle twist painfully.

"I would say sorry, but I'm not," stated Clark with a malicious grin. He had purposely put his foot out to trip Nina.

Nina looked up at the bulletin board and saw that Clark was ranked beneath her. "I would say sorry, but I'm not," she smirked. He huffed and marched out of the room as she skimmed over the list of rankings.

1. Amir  
2. Q  
3. Alessandra  
4. Nina  
5. Maddie  
6. Gregory  
7. Clark  
8. Miles  
9. Sebastian  
10. Tae  
11. Lana  
12. Jackson  
13. Pamela

Tae approached Nina. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," Nina sat on the ground and massaged her ankle. "Good job, by the way" she said as she high-fived Tae. Their late night training had significantly improved Tae's shooting. Everyone had been totally shocked, except for the two girls of course. Tae was finally in the safe zone, but she'd need to keep up the work next week to secure her position in Dauntless.

"I think we all deserve celebratory tattoos," Nina grinned to her friends and nudged Tae. "You too."

"You just want a victim to practice inking on," scolded Maddie playfully.

Nina stuck her tongue out. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't."

Tae held Nina back as the rest of the initiates rushed to the dormitory to shower. "Do you really think I deserve a tattoo? I've been waiting for the right moment... I just want to make sure I really belong here, you know?"

Nina looked at her seriously. "Tae, being Dauntless is about more than just training. Last night you showed true courage by admitting your mistakes and working hard. I definitely think you've earned your tattoo. Have you decided on what you want?"

Tae smiled shyly. "Yeah... I was thinking of getting a tattoo of a gun and target. After all, having a gun facing my head really changed me."

"I can tell. I think that's an awesome idea. I'll sketch it out for you before dinner. Meet you at the tattoo parlour tonight?"

Tae nodded and sprinted to the dormitory, her straight black ponytail whipping behind her.

Eric appeared beside Nina. "You know, you're supposed to be eliminating your competitors, not helping them."

Nina didn't deny being the reason for Tae's improvement. "I don't really see how it's any of your business, but I did receive something in return." She put out her hand and he lifted her up from the floor.

"Can you walk?"

"Yes, with help," she admitted, careful not to put too much weight on her bad ankle.

Eric wrapped his arm around Nina and started to lead her to the clinic. "What did you get in return for helping that absolute dimwit?"

"She's actually not a dimwit. She's a transfer from _your_ old faction, in fact. And I got some private information."

Eric lifted his eyebrow. "Information?"

"Information that concerns me and me alone." She gave him a knowing look.

They walked in silence the rest of the way. Nina was acutely aware the entire time of his body pressed against hers, his arm helping carry some of her weight. His skin was cool, yet her skin burned where their arms touched. She was so preoccupied with trying to breath normally that she barely felt the pain in her foot. She was sure that not knowing what information she'd received was killing Eric; knowledge was power, and power was what he craved.

Eric left her at the clinic without a word. The clinic walls were lined with advanced instruments, vials, and equipment that Nina didn't recognize. She hopped up onto a counter as a healer inspected her ankle.

The healer had grey strands threading through his brown hair and a receding hairline. Nina realized with shock that this was easily one of the oldest Dauntless members she'd met, yet he didn't even look all that old. She wished she had Amir's frankness, a residual trait from his old faction; if she did, she would ask the healer what happened to Dauntless members when they became old.

He advised her to keep her foot elevated with an ice pack for a few hours, which she figured would be easy enough if she was just hanging out at the tattoo parlour this evening. He also made her take a pill to prevent pain and swelling in her ankle. As she limped out, Clark entered clutching a bloody, bruised hand. As the door closed behind her, she heard the healer reprimanding him for punching another wall, and she had to stifle a laugh.

* * *

A bull horn blared, rousing Nina from her sleep. She shot up like a bullet, her nightmare coming to life. Her heart raced. '_They're here to take us to Abnegation!_' She glanced around in panic, regretting not having an escape plan.

Maddie shook her shoulder lightly. "Nina, what are you doing? We have to go. It's a midnight training exercise."

Nina's pulse slowed as she realized that this was real life, not a nightmare. There was no war. Not here, not now. She jumped out of bed and listened to Four's commands as she slipped on the first shirt within reach. She marched up the stairs following the other initiates. Maddie tugged on her elbow and handed over her sneakers and a hair tie. "Girl, you're a hot mess."

Nine chuckled and kissed her friend on the cheek. "Thanks, Mads. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I don't know what I'd do without you."

The transfers gathered on the roof before Eric and Four. Four was explaining the rules of a Dauntless tradition in which they were about to partake: a capture-the-flag game at the old pier.

Eric signaled for Nina to step forward as he opened one of the large boxes at his feet. Inside were several sleek guns that she instantly recognized. She recoiled at the memory of the guns' painful shots. "Nina, please explain to these useless fucks what these guns are."

She rolled her eyes and picked up a gun. "It's a bullet simulator. It makes an owie. Owie lasts 60 seconds." She pointed the gun at Clark and blasted his shoulder.

"Ow, what the fuck, you stupid bitch?!" Clark clutched his arm and he and the group observed the small metallic 'bullet' that was lodged firmly in his skin. He pinched the end of the fake bullet and tugged to no avail.

"That won't work," Four said. "It'll drop off after a minute."

"That was a really eloquent explanation, thank you Nina," stated Eric dryly. "Alright, Four and I get to choose teams."

"And I get first choice because my team won last year," Four grinned coldy. "And the year before that."

Eric pretended not to be affected by Four's words but Nina noticed the way he clenched his jaw and closed his fists tightly. "Go right ahead."

"Amir," chose Four. The choice was an obvious one. Amir was ranked first and he was the the best male shooter.

"Q." Eric's choice didn't surprise Nina either. Q was an average shooter but he was deadly in physical combat and a fighting machine.

The choosing of initiates somewhat followed the list of rankings. Eric selected Nina as his third choice, which made her feel all sorts of giddy. She insisted to herself that this giddiness had everything to do with sleep deprivation and nothing to do with Eric himself. When the teams were complete, each group got on a train cart together. Nina appraised her team on the quickly moving train as Eric distributed the BS-60 Harts. Her team included Q, Maddie, Tae, Sebastian, and Lana. There were 13 initiates and Four got the better division because he had won the year prior. That meant her team would have to work extra hard to compensate for missing a player.

She stood at the open cart door and let the cool night breeze wash over her. The sudden scent of pine and mint made her look down: she was wearing Eric's black shirt. She had completely forgotten that she had it. She'd hung it up to dry on her bed frame nearly two weeks ago, when Clark had spilled water on Eric after a strife with her. The shirt hung loose on her slender frame and the fabric was soft from years of wears and washes. Nina found the familiar scent, _his_ scent, comforting. She shook her head to clear her mind of those thoughts.

The group jumped from the train when they reached the docks. This time, Nina landed lithely, her body anticipating the fall and instinctually rolling properly. Eric huddled the group. They had 5 minutes to create a plan of action before the game started.

"We should split up into offense and defense," suggested Sebastian. The team nodded, approving of that idea.

"Eric, where did Four's teams hide the flag the past two years?" Tae asked.

He contemplated. "Once at the ferris wheel and another time at the swinger ride. The year before that we were initiates, and his team hid the flag at the carousel... successfully."

Nina knew Eric well enough to know that he was desperate to finally beat Four after years of losing to him. She was equally competitive; she would rather amputate her own leg before allowing Clark to hold a victory over her head. She was also surprised to know that Eric was only a few years older, yet he was already up for promotion to a position of leadership... A promotion that depended on war. Would he really go through with it? Was he willing to risk the lives of innocent people for his own prosperity? She studied Eric's harsh jaw; the lines of his muscles; the intensity in his eyes. How well did she know him after all? He caught her studying him but she didn't look away. What she felt for him was very real, but she couldn't allow her emotions take hold of her decisions. She was fire. He was ice. And they could never be together.

"Alright, we can cross out those three places then. Four wouldn't hide the flag in a recent location, and he obviously has a thing for amusement park rides and games," Tae thought aloud. "That leaves a multitude of possibilities, but I think the mini golf course is the best option. It's a remote location and it's hard to get to, which makes it an ideal choice."

"That makes sense," Eric seemed to appraise Tae in a new light. The other initiates were equally surprised, realizing that perhaps Tae was a source of competition after all. Nina caught her eyes and gave her a small smile and nod of approval.

"What about our flag?" asked Maddie.

Q turned and pointed to a large theatre dome in the distance. The dome had a utility ladder that Q could use to bring the flag far above ground.

"That's a good spot. Ok, let's roll with the plan. Q, stay on defense with Nina, Tae, and Lana. I'll go on offense with Maddie and Sebastian." Eric began to lead the way forward as Q approached the location where he'd hide the flag, followed by Tae and Lana.

"Hah! Fuck no," Nina snorted as she caught up with the offensive side. She refused to be left behind. She had to be there to capture the flag.

"No. You stay back on defense. You hurt your foot, we can't rely on you to be fast." Eric's voice was harsh.

"Watch me be fast, asshole!" She ran forward, bypassing the other offense players and ignoring the minor twinge of pain from her ankle.

"Absolutely not." Eric grabbed her shoulder and brought her back.

Nina pulled away from his hand and marched onward. "Eric, tell me one more time to stay behind. I fucking dare you."

"Nina, you're staying behind. Now fuck off."

She turned and fired a shot into his foot in response.

His face contorted with pain and anger. He heaved the gun up and unleashed two rounds into her stomach. She doubled over in pain and brought her gun back up, preparing to shoot him again.

"Fucking stop!" shouted Maddie. "You're both wasting your bullets! Let's just go, please?"

Eric glared at Nina but accepted the fact that she was officially on offense. Sebastian stayed behind on defense to compensate.

The pavement leading to the mini golf course was lined with festive pillars and colorful stands. They approached silently, guns drawn and they rounded a corner. They stopped when they heard soft voices ahead and huddled behind an old game stand to discuss what their next move should be.

"Nina and I will create a diversion," said Eric. "Maddie, you're fast but we're better shooters. We'll keep those fuckers off your back; you just concentrate on getting the flag. Got it?"

Maddie nodded and ran quietly away to hide behind a trash can where she could assess the right moment to grab the flag. Nina and Eric moved forward stealthily and crouched behind an abandoned ticket booth. She peeked to see what the other team was up to. She saw a few initiates standing far apart, circling the area where the flag was hidden. She looked over at Maddie who grinned and shot her a thumbs up; she'd spotted the neon flag as well. Tae had been spot on with her deduction of the flag's location.

"You are so fucking difficult," groaned Eric.

Nina laughed. "Why, cause I don't do what you tell me to do? Get fucking used to it."

He wrapped his hand around Nina's ponytail and pulled her head back, almost painfully, exposing her long neck. "I'll try," he whispered into her ear. He leaned in and planted his cool lips briefly on her neck. She knew then that he had felt her kiss on his neck the night of the zip-line. She was suddenly too distracted to think of anything else. The skin of her neck where his lips had touched burned after he pulled away.

"Nice shirt, by the way. I recall you telling me you were going to wash and return it. Maybe you should, now." He grabbed the helm of the shirt and tugged upwards.

Nina slapped his hands away. "I'm a liar, didn't anyone ever tell you? Anyways, it looks better on me."

"It'd look even better off you," Eric smirked.

She blushed and turned away. "Can we please concentrate?" Her heart was racing. '_Yes, _concentrate_, Nina. What the fuck is wrong with you? This is exactly why boys are bad idea. They're a distraction._' She peeked again past the ticket booth and spotted an opportunity. She leaned back and whispered "try to keep up with me," and winked at Eric. Then she stood and ran towards the nearest opponent, Gregory. She fired into his shoulder and ducked behind a bin. Greg spun to see who had hit him, and at that moment Eric stood and shot his neck. Greg fell to his knees in pain and tried desperately to yank out the bullets.

Nina and Eric nodded at each other and advanced. Clark and Amir ran at them, and the enemies fired at one another. Nina unleashed two bullets into Clark's shoulder but her third bullet missed Amir. He retaliated by firing into her trigger hand. She winced and Eric took stance in front of her, calmly firing a steady stream of rounds into Clark and Amir. He was like cobra, lethal and cold.

Amir ran back to retrieve his team's flag. "Our position has been compromised!" He passed the flag to Four who took off like a panther in the opposite direction.

"Maddie, run!" yelled Nina. Maddie sprinted behind Four but was hindered temporarily by a bullet from Alessandra that hit her in the leg. Eric and Nina ran forward to separate the enemy defensive side from Maddie. They ducked behind a food stand and fired at Clark, Amir, and Alessandra. Nina took a moment to breath and recharge her weapon. "Where's Greg?"

"He ran away."

"Seriously? What a wimp. What about the others?"

Eric shrugged. "Offense, I guess."

Nina cursed under her breath. "Our defense better hold them the fuck off. I refuse to lose." With that, she stood and fired again at the opposing team players as she ran in the direction Maddie and Four had gone. Eric quickly caught up with her, shooting at Amir. They ducked again behind an old carnival ride. Nina rubbed at her ankle, which was quickly swelling.

"You should have stayed behind," Eric stated frostily.

She glared at Eric and told him to shut the fuck up. Then she looked around the corner of the ride. "I don't see anyone." She decided to make a break for it, and sprinted to where Maddie was. Two bullets hit Nina in the back and she stumbled forward. Eric stopped behind her and fired his remaining bullets at the enemy. "Fuck, I'm out. Run!" He grappled with Alessandra and easily knocked her down, then recharged his weapon.

Nina jogged onward, her foot throbbing with waves of pain. She heard shouting behind her, and a bullet hit her tender ankle. She cried out in pain but ran forward. She could see Four ahead, climbing a tree with the neon flag in his hand. Maddie was climbing just behind him, gaining distance. No one could beat Amity when it came to climbing trees. "Go girl!" yelled Nina in encouragement.

She stopped at the base of the tree and fired upwards at Four, narrowly missing Maddie. She hit him in the stomach, and he faltered. It was just enough time for Maddie to cover the remaining distance between her branch and Four's and she grabbed the neon flag from his hand.

"Yes, yes!" Maddie shouted with delight and leapt lithely down from the tree. Nina approached her and the two girls hugged and jumped up and down gleefully.

Suddenly, Maddie was clutching her chest, her face contorted with pain. The color from her face vanished, leaving her skin pale and sweaty. "My heart... It feels really weird."

At that moment, Clark came forward and fired at the two girls, hitting Nina in the arm and Maddie in the chest as he laughed maniacally. Maddie fell to her knees, and her scream of agony shattered the cool night air.

Nina grasped Maddie's arms. "What's wrong?!"

Amir ran forward. "Baby, what's going on?!" He tripped over a dent in the decaying sidewalk and dropped his gun. It slid forward and fired, hitting Maddie in the foot. She tipped backward, landing with a thump on the sidewalk. Her eyelids fluttered, and she fell into unconsciousness.

"Get the fuck away!" screamed Nina in panic. "Get the fuck away!" She unleashed all of her remaining rounds into Clark and Amir, and the two boys doubled over with pain.

She crouched and hugged Maddie to her chest. "Get up! Please, get up!" Maddie lost control of her bladder and Nina found herself kneeling in a puddle of her urine. She began to weep. "Please, Maddie, please."

Four clutched a walkie talkie in his hands, demanding emergency services from the Dauntless headquarters. Then he ran forward and Nina tried to fire at him, forgetting that her gun was empty, and screamed at him to back off.

"Nina, stop!" Four yelled. Nina fumbled to take Maddie's gun from her clammy hands. She shot the last round from the gun at him, but he ignored the sudden pain in his arm and scooped up Maddie. He began to run with her best friend in his arms towards the train tracks.

Nina trembled as she struggled to reload Maddie's weapon as Eric wrapped his arms around her and yelled at her. "Stop it, Nina, right now!" A crowd had formed around the tree, the expressions on the initiates' faces ranging from confusion to shock to fear.

She tried to run forward, towards Four. "Where the fuck are you taking her?!" She lifted the gun and attempted to fire at Four's back but Q wrenched the gun from her hand. Eric clasped her wrists in one of his hands behind her back. The tears in her eyes blinded her from seeing what was happening. She panicked and struggled, trying to escape the tight grasp she was locked in. "Leave me the fuck alone! Don't fucking touch me!" Then she felt a needle prick her neck, and a haze of radiant colors washed over her. She slumped over and lose control of reality.

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**This chapter was also written mainly from my phone, in hotel rooms, trains, and airports. I'm officially back in my home country and I finally have access to my laptop!**

**As always, I appreciate your feedback! Did you love it? Hate it? What do you anticipate will happen next?**


	11. Scorch

**IMPORTANT A/N: Please make sure you have read Chapter 10 before continuing with this chapter. When I posted the previous chapter last week, Fanfiction servers were experiencing difficulties; many authors' updates disappeared, including mine.**

**Welcome all to my first Divergent fanfiction (original novel by Veronica Roth.) This story is rated T for _moderate _violence, language, and sexual themes. Please review; I'd love to read your feedback.**

**Ciao, Gabrielle.**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Scorch**

Nina drifted in and out of consciousnesses and lost all grasp on time. Her limbs felt heavy and weak. Voices came and went, echoing loudly in her head. Sometimes she wasn't sure if she was hearing voices at all, or if they were just figments of her imagination. Some voices she recognized: the healer, Sonya, Max. Others tugged at her memory but she could make no connections.

"... peace serum..."

"... not working..."

"... she's hallucinating..."

"...undiagnosed..."

"... heart valve malfunction..."

Waves of red and orange colors swirled before her eyes. A shriek pierced the silent clinic. The agonizing scream seemed to crack Nina's head open. She cried out and covered her ears. She launched herself up from the bed and spun around wildly. Her friend was in the bed beside her, pale and motionless. There was no scream. It was all in her head.

"Maddie, Maddie..." she chanted.

A healer lead her back to bed. She laid down compliantly. Ice moved in her veins, freezing her vital organs. The bed was a glacier. Snowflakes fell onto her skin, and white lights flashed. She shivered uncontrollably. A thick blanket was laid over her, melting the ice in her veins. Beautiful, familiar icy eyes comforted her. "It's ok, Nina. Go back to sleep."

Time passed, or didn't. Vibrant patterns pulsed in the air. She heard sobbing. A voice, pleading. She turned her head and saw a young man caressing Maddie's cheek.

"Who are you?" she slurred.

The boy turned to her. His eyes were dark and vacant. "It's me, Amir."

His face blurred. Fading memories took place. Amir hugging Maddie. Amir on a train cart, wearing the white clothing of Candor. Amir dropping a gun, its bullet accidentally lodging into Maddie's skin.

"Don't hurt her again," she begged.

His reply didn't reach Nina's ears, and time passed. She felt each of her limbs slowly turn to stone. Paralyzed eternally. The clinic was stagnant and static. Her heart beat drummed loudly in her head. She focused on trying to move her fingers. Small tingles pricked at her fingertips.

A scaled head floated before her eyes. Cold eyes that she recognized. A malicious grin spread from ear to ear. His reptilian tongue danced. "It would be so easy to end you now. Your friend is already out of the picture thanks to her fucked heart. Two competitors, out of the way."

The pillow was cold and stiff. It pressed against her mouth and nose, smothering her. She struggled to move her useless limbs. She was pinned to the cot by invisible shackles. Her heart beat erratically, and her lungs were stone in her chest.

Stars danced before her eyes. The void called to her. She gave in.

* * *

Nina peeled open her eyes and blinked at the sudden bright light. Her throat was parched and her head felt heavy.

"Good morning, kitty cat." Sonya was sitting at Nina's side in a stiff chair. Her tone of voice was light, but her dark eyes expressed anxiety and sleep deprivation.

"What's going on? Is Maddie ok? What happened to me last night?" Nina's voice was dry, and she was grateful for the glass of water that Sonya handed to her. She looked around and saw that Maddie was still in the cot beside her, asleep. A female healer was tending to her, taking her vital signs and recording them in an electronic chart.

"One question at a time, kitty cat," Sonya chuckled darkly. "Maddie's doing ok. She was awake a little while ago, but the healer wants her to rest as much as possible. She's been given a sleep aid to help." She paused and shifted uncomfortably. "Nina... Your friend had an undiagnosed heart abnormality."

Nina drew in her breath sharply. "What does that mean?"

Sonya grasped her hand. "It means Maddie's heart has to work extra hard to pump blood. It's usually an asymptomatic disorder, which is why she was never diagnosed. But now that she's being pushed daily in training, her heart just can't keep up with her body. The physical exertion could be fatal if she's not more careful."

Nina wept openly, her chest shaking and heaving. Suddenly all those moments made sense. Moments in which Maddie complained of a chest ache. Of having difficulty breathing. Of feeling light headed. Nina had always brushed it off, thinking her friend was just tired from training. She was wrong, so wrong. Staggering guilt and fear flooded her.

Sonya wrapped her arms around her and comforted her. Her cries eventually subsided, and Sonya offered her some tissues. As she wiped away the tears, she made the decision that this would the last time she cried. Tears wouldn't help Maddie. Tears were weak and childish. Tears had no place in Dauntless.

She took a deep breath and crumpled up the tissue in her hand. "Thank you. Please don't tell anyone I cried."

"There's nothing wrong with crying, Nina."

Nina pleaded with her wordlessly. Finally Sonya nodded. "Ok. Fine. So, your other question. Last night... Well, Eric and Four told me you really freaked out when Maddie collapsed. Do you remember any of that?"

The painful memories came back quickly to Nina. Her rash decision, her cold words, her fear, her panic. Maddie's limp body. A sting in her neck. And then darkness. She nodded dully. "Yea, I remember..."

"Well, Eric gave you a peace serum. He didn't know what else to do. Do you know what a peace serum is?"

"Yes, of course. Amity uses them all the time. They're used to make someone calm and peaceful."

Sonya nodded. "Well. It totally didn't work on you. Like, at all. You were hallucinating all night. It was really terrible. We thought you had lost your mind. We didn't know what to do. "

Nina put her head in her hands. "Oh god. I remember. It was really frightening... Why didn't the peace serum work on me?"

Sonya shrugged. "The healers have no idea. They've never seen anything like it."

They sat in silence for some minutes as Nina processed the overwhelming information. Her mind was heavy with dreadful thoughts. All she wanted to do was sit in total darkness and scream until her voice was hoarse.

* * *

Nina sketched fervently in the far corner of the tattoo parlour. All day the parlour had been bustling with Dauntless members enjoying a day off. Smiling. Relaxing. Laughing. She wanted to shut them all the fuck up.

The only person she could stand to be with right now was Q, and she was glad to see him come in. He didn't offer empty condolences or meaningless small talk. He was quiet and thoughtful, which was just what Nina needed.

He calmly flipped through her sketch book. It was filled with ideas for tattoo designs and patterns. He paused at the drawing of a mouse and smiled softly. He tapped the page and pointed to his shoulder.

Nina nodded, understanding what he wanted, and began to prepare the tattoo gun. She wanted to know why Q wanted a mouse tattoo, of all things, but she understood that he was a reserved individual who only disclosed information when he wanted to. She rolled his shirt sleeve up and began the tattoo.

She finished after half an hour and felt much calmer. The act of tattooing was always very relaxing for her. Q thanked her wordlessly with a small smile and nod. Then he spoke to her quietly "I always called my little sister my mouse."

When he left, it was closing time and the parlour emptied for the evening. Sonya allowed her to stay with the promise of locking up behind her. She contemplated visiting Maddie again, but the thought of seeing her friend weak and pale in the clinic cot made her feel sick. She instead opened her sketch book and began putting the finishing touches on the drawing of a phoenix. There were two versions of the drawing: a flowery, feminine version and a darker, masculine version. She contemplated making a sketch for Maddie to cheer her up.

Someone knocked on the glass door of the tattoo parlour. Nina continued drawing as she yelled out "We're closed!"

The person pounded again. Nina rolled her eyes and put her pencil down. "Can't you see the fucking sign on the door?!" She looked up and saw that it was Eric. She sighed and got up to unlock the door.

She wordlessly let him in, but hoped he wouldn't stay long. She was in no mood to put up with him, not tonight. She had enough things on her mind, and Eric... well, he always managed to confuse her. She never knew what he wanted, and she definitely didn't know what she wanted either. She felt a pull to him, but she knew it was wrong. With all the things going on in her life, the last thing she needed was a distraction like him. A dark, alluring, and dangerous distraction.

She sat in her familiar seat and continued drawing. It was the finishing touches, really, but Nina never felt a tattoo sketch was truly complete until had been inked permanently to someone's skin. Until then, she would continue adding small details and erasing here and there. Eric sat quietly and watched her sketch, though she tilted the book away from him to hide the drawing. She felt strangely comfortable drawing in front of him, though it was something she usually preferred to do alone. She finally stopped moving her pencil, realizing that there was nothing else she could add to this drawing. It was as done as it ever would be. She snapped her sketch book shut.

Suddenly Eric was pulling his shirt off, revealing intricately inked skin and muscles that were hard from years of combat training. Nina forced herself to look only at his face. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I want a tattoo," he explained succinctly.

"You can't just march in here and demand a tattoo. We're closed you know," she stated jokingly as she pushed on his chest lightly, causing him to lean back in the padded seat. "Close your eyes," she demanded.

"Why?" He asked suspiciously. Eric was a cautious individual. Closed eyes made him susceptible to perceived dangers, and he preferred to always be on high alert. Nina was accustomed to the way his eyes scanned every room for details and exits upon entering, and the way he never had his back to a door.

"Just trust me, please?" She pleaded with him, biting her lip; a nervous habit.

His mouth turned down but he complied, settling back into the chair stiffly with his eyes closed.

Nina began to assemble the tattoo gun and filled some ink wells with different colors: shades of black, red, and yellow. She cleaned the blank spot on Eric's chest with a wet wipe then dried the area with a small towel. She opened her sketch book to the drawing of the phoenix for reference. Then she brought the needle to his skin and began to draw.

The art of tattooing was a therapeutic one for Nina. She gave in to the relaxation of the act and let her thoughts escape her mind. The lines she traced slowly filled Eric's chest, leaving her permanent mark on his skin. She let the whims of her creative impulse control her hand. The creature on his chest slowly came to life. Flames ignited on his skin, dancing with hues of red and orange. Nina periodically wiped away blood and running ink. This was her first truly intricate tattoo, larger and more complex than any of the others she had done, yet she felt totally at ease. Drawing and tattooing came natural to her, and being with Eric also felt natural. In the hours she spent there, in the dark room, Nina lost track of time. She was completely absorbed by the lines she drew on his skin, and his even breaths calmed her. She felt her own lungs expand and compress in time with his. This was home to her.

Eric reached over and traced the tattoo on her arm, his icy eyes skimming her skin. The lyrics that encircled her upper arm were only partially complete. His touch made goosebumps rise on her skin. "Is this the song you were humming on the roof last week? You promised you would sing it me."

"I thought I told you to keep your eyes closed," Nina demanded.

Eric rolled his eyes but complied.

"Anyways," she continued, "I never _promised_ I would sing to you, I said I _might_." She contemplated as she shaded in the final section of the tattoo. "Maddie's a better singer, you know."

"I don't want to hear Maddie sing," he said gruffly. "I want to hear you."

She felt her heart skip a beat. She began to hum the song gently, letting the familiar melody soothe her. "Well, if I'm going to sing, you have to keep your eyes closed. If you look at me, it'll make me nervous."

He smirked but kept his eyes closed. "I make you nervous?"

She ignored him and continued to hum. She never sang in front of anyone, ever. In truth, she didn't have a bad voice and she definitely could keep a tune. But singing just felt so intimate to her. It didn't come easy to her like it did for her mother and Maddie. Yet here she was, about to sing in front of someone else for the first time ever. Her heart should be racing. Her skin should feel clammy. Yet it felt natural. It felt natural to share this song from Amity with a man who detested any mention of allegiance to other factions. Did he really, then? What did this mean for her, and what did it mean of him? Nina forced herself to push the convoluting thoughts out of her head and focus on what felt right. And what felt right, at the moment, was singing for Eric.

She let the words fly out of her mouth like a song bird. Her soft voice filled the quiet room. The phoenix on Eric's skin was animated, the flames surrounding it seemingly dancing. She continued to work as she sang. She put the finishing touches, wiped away spots of blood and ink, and disassembled the tattoo gun. All the while, the lyrics flowed naturally. Years of hearing the words in Amity, years of dreams of a phoenix, years of humming the tune to the beautiful lullaby, culminated in this moment, a moment in which she could finally share the song with someone who was important to her. She didn't understand why, but maybe she didn't have to understand.

The song finally ended and Eric opened his eyes. His steely eyes assessed her with a gentleness she hadn't ever witnessed. He looked away from her for a moment to admire his new tattoo. Nina felt self-conscious. Did he loathe it? Was it what he wanted? He slowly traced the wings of the phoenix on his skin, and she wondered what was running through his mind. She would always wonder about him.

Nina stopped thinking when Eric stood up and pulled her head towards his. Their lips crashed together, and she felt wildfire spread from her mouth down through her chest and legs. He wound his hand through her loose hair, pulling lightly. His lips were soft, the only soft thing about him. She nibbled gently on his bottom lip, and Eric moaned lightly. His lips left hers and kissed along her jaw down to her neck. He gently kissed and sucked a spot on her neck, and she felt her limbs shiver with delight.

"Oh, Eric," she moaned out. She placed her hand on his hard jaw and tilted his head up. Their lips collided again, passionately. She ran her hand over his bare chest, forgetting the tender new tattoo. Eric wrapped an arm around her lower back and pulled her closer to him. His other hand slipped under her shirt and gripped her waist. Her lips were tingling against his. His skin and lips were cool yet she felt like she was burning up with desire. His body molded perfectly to hers.

Suddenly, Eric's communication device was ringing. Three quick, high pitched noises indicated an incoming message. He pulled away and reached for the device.

"Eric, don't you dare answer that," Nina demanded.

He glared. "I have to. It's Max."

"_Fuck_ Max. Are you fucking serious?"

He turned away and brought the device to his ears. After listening to the short message he turned back to Nina and began to slip his shirt back on. "I have to go."

"This is so fucking typical. He really has you on a fucking leash, doesn't he? Hanging that damn promotion over your head," she snapped.

His eyes narrowed. "How do you know about the promotion?"

Nina panicked. '_Because I overheard a secret conversation with dangerous information that I definitely shouldn't know.'_ Instead, she thought quickly and answered. "It's pretty obvious."

"This is my job. I'm a leader of Dauntless," he reminded her sternly with his arms crossed. His lips were slightly swollen from kissing her. Nina struggled between wanting to hit him and wanting to pull him close again.

She was seething. "Whatever, Eric. Just fucking go. This didn't mean anything anyways."

He scowled back. "Fine."

"Fine!"

And then he walked out, leaving Nina alone with her emotions.

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**Did you love it? Did you hate it? Please leave me a review to let me know what you think!**


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